The Content of Our Character--Forty Years After "The Speech"
"I have a dream," declared Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as he addressed a crowd of several hundred thousand gathered on the Mall around the Washington Monument. The date was August 28, 1963, and America was a cauldron of social unrest.
Civil rights leaders had called for the March on Washington in order to force the nation to deal with the so-called "race problem." As the event drew to a close, all eyes were on the final speaker. The crowd standing in Washington's sweltering heat waited for what they know would be the "closer" of the event.
Most Americans recognized the name, face, and voice of Martin Luther King, Jr. He had appeared on the nation's front pages and news broadcasts, having led major protests and movements in Montgomery, Birmingham, and other cities. And yet, King was an emigma to many white Americans. What would he say?
Interestingly, the most famous words of his speech were not included in his manuscript. King had arrived in Washington the day before and had prepared his speech in a room at the famous Willard Hotel. In The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation, author Drew D. Hansen provides a parallel text of Dr. King's manuscript and his actual words. When he reached the pinnacle of his oratory, King simply departed from his prepared text and launched into history.
"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream."
Dr. King spoke of a dream "that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood." More personally, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of thier character. I have a dream today."
In the midst of a nation torn by racial strife and social unrest, Dr. King painted an indellible picture of America as it could be and should be. His oratory was soaring, his imagery was vivid, and his cause was right. His cadences, inflections, and biblical allusions gave the speech its memorable structure. His powerful argument gave the speech its moral weight. The speech is as much a part of our national memory as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
Originally published August 28, 2003.
