I Have a Dream Speech, Martin Luther King

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King stepped up to the podium at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to deliver one of the most powerful speeches of the 20th Century. His passionate speech to a crowd of over 250,000 people, calling for equal rights and racial emancipation in post-slavery America,

[quote]”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.”[/quote]

was not only a defining moment in the American Civil Rights Movement, but ignited a worldwide movement toward justice and (racial) equality.

A powerful orator, Martin Luther King eloquently called for social change, preaching fairness and equality through non-violence, taking after the peaceful ways of Mahatma Gandhi. This speech is his most famous and widely remembered.

Last year, America commemorated  the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, which remains the largest political demonstration in American history. The significance of the speech remains today, with guests calling for modern initiatives for freedom to prosper.

Today, monuments celebrating Martin Luther King Jr Memorial stand not only in Washington, but across the world including India and Paris.[quote align=’right’]”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”[/quote]

The speech is considered to have defined a new era of freedom, a freedom which has set a peaceful and tolerant landscape in many parts of the world, allowing us to travel comfortably to places far and wide without fear of persecution for differences.

Freedom, equality and celebrating the common human spirit is a monumental part of the joys of travelling, and so we remember and celebrate this important moment in time which helped us get there.

Image Credit: http://www.nps.gov/

More from the speech:

“Let freedom ring”

“In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”