by When most people think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, they hearken back to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 where 200,000 people watched and listened.
Few people know the “I Have a Dream” speech was initially delivered — in a slightly different form and factor — two months prior on June 23, 1963 in front of a massive crowd of 500,000 people during “The Great March on Detroit.”
Dr. King’s two “Dream” speeches are a fascinating look at how content and intent grow and intensify from one moment to another. There is no doubt he was a gifted author and editor of his own work. Here is the “Dream” section of his Detroit speech given on June 23, 1963:
And so this afternoon, I have a dream. (Go ahead) It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day, right down in Georgia and Mississippi and Alabama, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to live together as brothers.
I have a dream this afternoon (I have a dream) that one day, [Applause] one day little white children and little Negro children will be able to join hands as brothers and sisters.I have a dream this afternoon that one day, [Applause] that one day men will no longer burn down houses and the church of God simply because people want to be free. I have a dream this afternoon (I have a dream) that there will be a day that we will no longer face the atrocities that Emmett Till had to face or Medgar Evers had to face, that all men can live with dignity.
I have a dream this afternoon (Yeah) that my four little children, that my four little children will not come up in the same young days that I came up within, but they will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not the color of their skin. [Applause] I have a dream this afternoon that one day right here in Detroit, Negroes will be able to buy a house or rent a house anywhere that their money will carry them and they will be able to get a job. [Applause] (That’s right)
Yes, I have a dream this afternoon that one day in this land the words of Amos will become real and “justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” I have a dream this evening that one day we will recognize the words of Jefferson that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I have a dream this afternoon. [Applause]
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and “every valley shall be exalted, and every hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” [Applause]
I have a dream this afternoon that the brotherhood of man will become a reality in this day. And with this faith I will go out and carve a tunnel of hope through the mountain of despair. With this faith, I will go out with you and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.
With this faith, we will be able to achieve this new day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing with the Negroes in the spiritual of old: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last! [Applause]
Now compare that first “Dream” section with the more famous “Dream” section we all know best from Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963:
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little 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 their character. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
Today, in the United States, we celebrate the birth of Dr. King as a national holiday.
We hope you will honor his memory and his message with us. He was a great leader, a fine writer, and a man who knew his moment.
Touching the Mountaintop
Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a man that saw a mountain and climbed it. He was a man that found the mountaintop and touched it. He was the creator of a light that
David,
moving words! a beautiful vision expressed in a poetic speech! it’s a sad truth about human society, that those who question and challenge the status quo and find the courage and possess the character to make others do the same are often given a brutal, public execution. one, because their missions demand that they make themselves openly accessible and therefore vulnerable in public and two, because it suits the beneficiaries of the status quo to make examples of them. this is institutionalized in repressed societies – like the middle east of today – and occur as “freak incidents” in modern, democratic societies.
Well said, Dananjay! I like how you think!
You’re right that goodness and prescience were assassinated in the 1960’s and the USA has yet to recover its sense of honor or anticipation of our full glory.
David,
yes, such things leave scars in the consciousness that stay raw for long and only time can truly heal them. A similar incident in India’s past with the assassination of Gandhi resulted in him being promptly deified and his loss mourned but the incident itself was left unquestioned and eventually unanswered.
I love the *day of service* aspect – a man who should be celebrated and remembered – truly inspirational.
Dananjay —
I think those sorts of killings of superstars are known and accepted to be done by the darker powers that cannot stand their life. Our history is pocked with bright lights being snuffed out by darkness. Darkness thrives in evil and hatred and brightness requires that darkness to be visible.
Nicola —
I, too, like making the day an active holiday instead of one to be ignored as a day to sleep late.
Some communities, however, do not recognize the federal holiday. They still hold school. City services are still offered.
Some states like Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi celebrate Confederate leader Robert E. Lee today instead of honoring Dr. King:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22768207/
And we think Obama can win the South?
What an intriguing mix ……….
No you HOPE Obama can win the south – just like we do – we do not want any more Clinton antics !
I’m with you, Nicola! We keep hoping and pushing forward and pressing the hate out of those folks.
I also hope that Obama can win the south. Of course my mother chose today of all days to make this phone call.
Mom : Are you watching the debates?
Me : No, they’re not going to be on until later.
Mom : I can’t believe that you want to vote for this Islamic man.
Me : I have told you already that it’s just vicious libel and that he has never been Muslim.
Mom : I know that he only converted to Christianity when he started working in politics.
Me : You have to stop getting all your information from Faux news.
Mom : *repetition of same distorted lies*
Nice.
That’s a depressing dialogue, Gordon.
You have to play dirty to win in politics, it seems, and Obama isn’t about that — so how does a guy like him beat the evildoers, the naysayers, and the backstabbers?