1 Facing the Challenge of a New Age Martin Luther King, Jr. Booker T. Washington High School Gymnasium1 Rocky Mount, NC November 27, 1962 ur. ArmsLrong,2 and oLher dlsLlngulshed plaLform assoclaLes, ladles and genLlemen, l need noL pause Lo say how very dellghLed l am Lo have Lhe prlvllege of comlng Lo Lhls communlLy and sharlng wlLh you Lhls evenlng. l'm happy Lo be here for aL leasL Lwo reasons LhaL l can Lhlnk of: Cne ls l'm happy Lo see you.1he oLher ls LhaL uh, l'm happy Lo be on Lhe ground. ur. ArmsLrong was asklng me abouL my fllghL from ALlanLa, and l Lold hlm LhaL ah, for some reason lL was a raLher LurbulenL, bumpy fllghL.And whenever Lhe skles are acLlng up a blL and l'm ln an alrplane, l'm always happy when LhaL plane lands aL Lhe alrporL. [laughLer] now l don'L wanL anybody here Lo geL Lhe lmpresslon LhaL l don'L have falLh ln Cod ln Lhe alr, lL's slmply LhaL l've had more experlence wlLh hlm on Lhe ground.[applause](1:39) 1 8ooker 1. WashlngLon was a segregaLed school wlLh a gym LhaL held a capaclLy crowd of approxlmaLely 1,800 on Lhls evenlng.1he school closed when Lhe clLy flnally fully lnLegraLed lLs sLudenLs ln 1969.lL was named Lo honor Lhe facL LhaL WashlngLon hlmself had spoken ln Lhe clLy ln 1910.1he clLy's unlque locaLlon along a surprlslngly promlnenL rallroad acLually made lL falrly accesslble Lo men llke WashlngLon.klng hlmself aLLended ALlanLa's own segregaLed 8ooker 1. WashlngLon Plgh School for Lwo years. knowlng Lhe greaL oraLor's speeches well, klng had acLually quoLed from anoLher famous saylng of WashlngLon ln anoLher speech he dellvered less Lhan Lwo monLhs earller.2 8esL known for hls role ln aLhleLlcs, ur. Wlley "Army" ArmsLrong (1931-1981) was lnfluenLlal LhroughouL Lhe sLaLe of norLh Carollna where he served Lhe organlzaLlon of black schools for 13 years as Lhe execuLlve dlrecLor of Lhe norLh Carollna Plgh School ALhleLlc Conference (nCPSAC). ln 1968, he helped over 100 black schools ln Lhe sLaLe lnLegraLe lnLo Lhe nCPSAA.8orn ln Ldgecombe CounLy, he graduaLed from Shaw unlverslLy, recelved hls M.u. degree from Meharry Medlcal College, and was Lhen lnducLed lnLo Lhe norLh Carollna Plgh School ALhleLlc AssoclaLlon Pall of lame ln 1997.Pe was very acLlve ln clvlc and church acLlvlLles ln 8ocky MounL. 2 lL ls a greaL pleasure Lo be ln Lhls secLlon of Lhe sLaLe of norLh Carollna.l've been ln Lhls sLaLe many, many Llmes.8uL Lhls ls Lhe flrsL Llme LhaL l have had Lhe opporLunlLy of comlng ln Lhls secLlon of Lhe greaL sLaLe of norLh Carollna3.And l wanL Lo express my personal appreclaLlon Lo you and Lo all of Lhe offlcers and members of Lhe 8ocky MounL voLers and lmprovemenL League for exLendlng Lhe lnvlLaLlon.And lL ls of course a real prlvllege Lo renew Lhe fellowshlp and frlendshlp wlLh my dear frlend Ceorge uudley4.We have known each oLher for several years - l won'L Lell you how many because l guess l'm, l'm geLLlng old now.8uL ln all serlousness we've had a greaL long and uh, long relaLlonshlp.And l'm cerLalnly happy Lo be ln Lhe communlLy where he labors and where he pasLors and where he ls glvlng such forLhrlghL and dynamlc leadershlp.(3:33). 1hls evenlng l would llke Lo use as a sub[ecL from whlch Lo speak3: laclng Lhe Challenge of a new Age."6And l guess ln maklng a clvll rlghLs speech, lL ls lmproper Lo Lake a LexL from Lhe 8lble.78uL LonlghL l wanL Lo Lake a LexL.Many, many cenLurles ago a man by Lhe name of !ohn was ln prlson ouL on a lonely obscure lsland called aLmos.And ln such a slLuaLlon he was deprlved of almosL every freedom buL Lhe freedom Lo Lhlnk.Pe LhoughL abouL many Lhlngs, he LhoughL abouL Lhe old !erusalem. 8uL ln 3 ur. klng reLurned Lo Lhe norLheasLern secLlon of norLh Carollna approxlmaLely a monLh laLer for a small Lour of Lhe area LhaL lncluded varlous speaklng engagemenLs ln LllzabeLh ClLy, PerLford, and LhroughouL Chowan CounLy.Pe spoke Lo approxlmaLely 300 people aL Lhe armory ln LdenLon on uecember 20, 1962.4 asLor of MounL Zlon llrsL 8apLlsL Church, Ceorge uudley had flrsL lnvlLed klng Lo speak ln 8ocky MounL ln lebruary of 1938. 3 klng slaps hls hand on Lhe podlum here as a means Lo emphaslze Lhe LlLle of hls speech. 6 klng flrsL began dellverlng a serles of speeches on AugusL 11, 1936 uslng elLher Lhls LlLle or Lhe LlLle 1he 8lrLh of a new Age." verslons of Lhls speech were dellvered as laLe as 1964. 7 Whlle quoLlng scrlpLure ln hls sermons and publlc addresses was expecLed, Lhls ls an excepLlonally rare Llme when he used a passage from Lhe 8lble as Lhe focus of one of hls publlc addresses. 3 Lhe mldsL of all of Lhls, he llfLed hls vlslon Lo heaven.Pe saw a new heaven and a new earLh,8 Lhe new !erusalem, descendlng ouL of heaven from Cod.And lf you wlll Lurn over ln Lhe 8ook of 8evelaLlon, you wlll flnd Lhese words: 8ehold, l make all Lhlngs new, Lhe former Lhlngs are passed away."9 And ln a real sense Lhose of us who llve ln Lhe LwenLleLh cenLury are able Lo say wlLh !ohn of old, l see a new heaven and a new earLh.l see Lhe new !erusalem descendlng ouL of heaven from Cod."An old order ls passlng away, and a new order ls comlng lnLo belng.10(6:24) We are famlllar wlLh LhaL old order LhaL ls passlng away because we have llved wlLh lL and we have seen lL ln all lLs ugly dlmenslons.We have seen lL ln oLher naLlons ln Lhe form of colonlallsm and lmperlallsm.1here are approxlmaLely Lhree bllllon people llvlng ln Lhe world Loday.1he vasL ma[orlLy of Lhese people do noL llve ln Lhe WesL.MosL of Lhese people llve ln Asla and Afrlca.And for years mosL of Lhem have domlnaLed pollLlcally, explolLed economlcally, segregaLed and humlllaLed by some forelgn power.8uL Lhere comes a Llme when people geL Llred.111here comes a Llme when people geL Llred of belng Lrampled over by Lhe lron feeL of oppresslon.1here comes a Llme when people geL Llred of belng 8 Speaklng ln Lhe gymnaslum of Lhe segregaLed school named afLer 8ooker 1. WashlngLon, klng may be sLarLlng hls speech aL Lhe place where WashlngLon's mosL famous address ended.lL was a speech klng knew well.Speaklng aL Lhe ALlanLa LxposlLlon on SepLember 12, 1893, WashlngLon ended hls well-known and ofLen reprlnLed address wlLh Lhese flnal words: far above and beyond maLerlal beneflLs wlll be LhaL hlgher good, LhaL, leL us pray Cod, wlll come, ln a bloLLlng ouL of secLlonal dlfferences and raclal anlmoslLy and susplclons, ln a deLermlnaLlon Lo admlnlsLer absoluLe [usLlce, ln a wllllng obedlence among all classes Lo Lhe mandaLes of Lhe law.1hls, coupled wlLh our maLerlal prosperlLy, wlll brlng lnLo our beloved SouLh a new heaven and a new earLh." 9 klng lnverLs Lhese Lwo phrases found ln Lhe klng !ames LranslaLlon of Lhe 8lble he always used.8evelaLlon 21:4-3 reads: [4] And Cod shall wlpe away all Lears from Lhelr eyes, and Lhere shall be no more deaLh, nelLher sorrow, nor crylng, nelLher shall Lhere be any more paln for Lhe former Lhlngs are passed away. [3] And he LhaL saL upon Lhe Lhrone sald, '8ehold, l make all Lhlngs new.'And he sald unLo me, 'WrlLe: for Lhese words are Lrue and falLhful.' " 8y lnverLlng and recasLlng Lhe orlglnal verses of 8evelaLlon, klng ls already modellng hls Lheme LhaL old Lhlngs wlll become new.10 1hough he does noL quoLe or reference Lhese verses of 8evelaLlon ln oLher verslons of Lhls speech, Lhls ldea ls also Lhe cenLral Lheme of all of Lhe serles of speeches klng began dellverlng ln Lhe fall of 1936. 11 uslng anaphora, klng repeaLs Lhe ldea Llred" four consecuLlve Llmes Lo begln hls nexL four sLaLemenLs. 4 pushed ouL of Lhe gllLLerlng sunllghL of llfe's !uly and lefL sLandlng ln Lhe plerclng chlll of an alplne november.121hese people became Llred and Lhey declded Lo rlse up ln proLesL. And as a resulL of LhaL, Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of Lhese former colonlal sub[ecLs have Lhelr lndependence Loday.1hey have broken loose from Lhe old order of colonlallsm.1hey are movlng on Loward Lhe land of pollLlcal and economlc securlLy.8ehold, l make all Lhlngs new.1he former Lhlngs are passed away."(8:33)8uL noL only have we seen Lhe old order ln Asla and Afrlca, we have seen lL ln our own naLlon, ln Lhe form of slavery and raclal segregaLlon.nobody here LonlghL has escaped Lhe evlls and Lhe Lragedles of Lhese sysLems.Cur fore parenLs' parenLs were broughL here ln 1619 agalnsL Lhelr wllls from Lhe solls of Afrlca.lor 244 years Lhey were LreaLed as Lhlngs raLher Lhan persons.1hey were LreaLed as depersonallzed cogs ln a vasL planLaLlon machlne.And even afLer Lhe LmanclpaLlon roclamaLlon was slgned by Abraham Llncoln on SepLember Lhe 22nd ln 1862,13 Lhe negro dlscovered LhaL he was sLlll ln slavery, because a few years laLer a sysLem came lnLo belng known as segregaLlon backed up by a declslon from Lhe Supreme CourL of Lhe naLlon known as Lhe lessey versus lerguson ueclslon, rendered ln 1896.(10:12)Llvlng wlLh slavery and segregaLlon, Lhe negro losL falLh ln hlmself.Many negroes came Lo feel LhaL perhaps Lhey were lnferlor.1hls ls Lhe Lragedy of Lhe segregaLlon.lL lsn'L only bad because lL does someLhlng Lo Lhe physlcal body and makes for physlcal lnconvenlences, buL lL ls bad because lL does someLhlng Lo Lhe soul.lL glves Lhe segregaLor a false sense of superlorlLy, and lL glves Lhe segregaLed a false sense of lnferlorlLy.1he negro llvlng wlLh Lhls sysLem for years felL LhaL he was lnferlor. 8uL Lhen someLhlng happened Lo Lhe negro.ClrcumsLances and forces of hlsLory caused hlm Lo Lake a new look 12 1hough Lhls ls a llne LhaL klng used ofLen (wlLhouL changlng Lhe name of Lhe monLh), lL ls lmporLanL Lo remember LhaL Lhe speech ls belng dellvered ln Lhe monLh of november. 13 1hls daLe ls especlally lmporLanL as Lhe year ln whlch Lhe speech ls belng dellvered, 1962, marks Lhe cenLennlal of Lhls evenL. 3 aL hlmself. 1he negro came Lo feel LhaL he was somebody.negro masses all over began Lo reevaluaLe Lhemselves.Pls rellglon revealed Lo hlm LhaL Cod loves all of hls chlldren and LhaL all men are made ln hls lmage, and LhaL flguraLlvely speaklng every man from a base black Lo a Lreble whlLe ls slgnlflcanL on Cod's keyboard.14And so Lhe negro could now [applause] And so Lhe negro could now unembarrassedly cry ouL wlLh Lhe eloquenL poeL:lleecy locks and black complexlon cannoL forfelL naLure's clalm Skln may dlffer, buL affecLlonuwells ln black and whlLe Lhe same. Were l so Lall as Lo reach Lhe pole Cr Lo grasp Lhe ocean aL lLs span, l musL be measured by my soul1he mlnd ls Lhe sLandard of Lhe man."13(12:41)WlLh Lhls new sense of dlgnlLy and Lhls new sense of self-respecL, a new negro came lnLo belng wlLh a new deLermlnaLlon Lo sLruggle, Lo suffer, Lo sacrlflce, and even dle lf necessary ln order Lo be free.[applause]1hen someLhlng else happened.ln 1934 Lhe Supreme CourL rendered a new declslon.8ack ln 1837 Lhe Supreme CourL of Lhe unlLed SLaLes rendered whaL was known as Lhe ured ScoLL ueclslon and LhaL declslon sald ln subsLance LhaL Lhe negro has no rlghLs LhaL Lhe whlLe man ls bound Lo respecL, LhaL 14 1hls ldea recelved Lhe loudesL applause from Lhe crowd when klng dellvered Lhls llne seven monLhs laLer before 10,000 people ln Cobo Pall aL Lhe ueLrolL March for !obs on !une 23, 1963. 13 1hese llnes of poeLry acLually collapse Lhe ldeas of Lwo poeLs.1he flrsL four llnes above come from Lngllshman Wllllam Cowper's poem 1he negro's ComplalnL" (1788).Cowper was encouraged Lo wrlLe Lhe poem by !ohn newLon. 1he nexL four llnes were wrlLLen by lsaac WaLLs ln hls Porae Lyrlcae (1706). When he was a sLudenL, klng llkely heard Lhese llnes (already comblned) from 8en[amln Mays who used Lhem when he spoke regularly ln chapel servlces aL Morehouse College.klng dellvered Lhese llnes from memory, and he used Lhem frequenLly. 6 he ls merely properLy sub[ecL Lo Lhe dlcLaLes of hls owner.ln 1896 Lhe Supreme CourL esLabllshed Lhe docLrlne of SeparaLe buL Lqual" as Lhe law of Lhe land.ln 1934, May 17, Lhe Supreme CourL examlned Lhe legal body of segregaLlon and pronounced lL consLlLuLlonally dead.lL sald ln subsLance LhaL Lhe old lessey docLrlne musL go, LhaL separaLe faclllLles are lnherenLly unequal and LhaL Lo segregaLe a chlld on Lhe basls of hls race ls Lo deny LhaL chlld equal proLecLlon of Lhe law.(14:19) And slnce LhaL day we've seen many changes.1o puL lL flguraLlvely ln blbllcal language, we've broken loose from Lhe LgypL of slavery, and we have moved Lhrough Lhe wllderness of segregaLlon and now we sLand on Lhe border of Lhe promlsed land of lnLegraLlon.1he old order ls passlng away. [applause] 1here can be no galnsaylng of Lhe facL now, LhaL old man segregaLlon ls on hls deaLhbed and Lhe only Lhlng uncerLaln abouL lL ls how cosLly Lhe SouLh wlll make Lhe funeral. 1he old order passes away. [applause] 8ehold, l make all Lhlngs new.lormer Lhlngs are passed away. 8uL whenever anyLhlng new comes lnLo hlsLory, lL brlngs wlLh lL new challenges and new responslblllLles. And l wanL Lo deal wlLh some of Lhe challenges LhaL we face as a resulL of Lhls emerglng new age.llrsL, we are challenged Lo develop a world perspecLlve.Whlle we are concerned abouL our parLlcular problem here ln Lhe SouLh and ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, we musL noL lose slghL of problems LhaL exlsL ln oLher areas of Lhe world.We musL develop a world perspecLlve.?ou see Lhe world ln whlch we llve Loday ls geographlcally one.And now we are challenged Lo make lL one ln Lerms of broLherhood.now lL ls Lrue LhaL Lhe geographlcal LogeLherness of Lhe modern world has been broughL lnLo belng Lo a large exLenL Lhrough man's sclenLlflc genlus.Modern man Lhrough hls sclenLlflc genlus has been able Lo dwarf dlsLance and place Llme ln chalns.?es, we've been able Lo carve hlghways Lhrough Lhe sLraLosphere, and our [eL planes have compressed lnLo mlnuLes dlsLances LhaL once Look days and 7 weeks.l Lhlnk 8ob Pope16 has adequaLely descrlbed Lhls new [eL age ln whlch we llve.Pe sald lL ls an age ln whlch lL ls posslble Lo Lake a non-sLop fllghL from Los Angeles Lo new ?ork ClLy and lf on Laklng off ln Los Angeles you develop hlccups, you wlll hlc" ln Los Angeles and cup" ln new ?ork ClLy.?ou know lL ls posslble, because of Lhe Llme dlfference, Lo leave 1okyo, !apan on Sunday mornlng and arrlve ln SeaLLle, WashlngLon on Lhe precedlng SaLurday nlghL, and when your frlends meeL you aL Lhe alrporL and ask when you lefL 1okyo, you wlll have Lo say: l lefL Lomorrow."1hls ls Lhe klnd of world ln whlch we llve.now Lhls ls a blL humorous, buL l am Lrylng Lo laugh a baslc facL lnLo all of us: man Lhrough hls sclenLlflc genlus has made of Lhls world a nelghborhood.And now Lhrough our moral and eLhlcal commlLmenL, we musL make of lL a broLherhood.Men everywhere musL learn Lo llve LogeLher as broLhers or we wlll all dle LogeLher as fools.1hls ls whaL we [applause] musL do.no lndlvldual can llve alone, no naLlon can llve alone, we are lnLerdependenL.(18:43) SomeLlme ago Mrs. klng and l [ourneyed Lo LhaL greaL counLry known as lndla.17l never wlll forgeL Lhe experlence.lL was a marvelous opporLunlLy Lo meeL and Lo Lalk wlLh and Lo come Lo know Lhe greaL leaders of lndla, and Lo meeL and Lalk wlLh people ln Lhe clLles and Lhe vlllages all over LhaL vasL counLry. And Lhese experlences wlll remaln dear Lo me as long as Lhe cords of memory shall lengLhen.8uL l say Lo you LonlghL, my frlends, LhaL Lhere were Lhose depresslng18 momenLs, for how can one avold belng depressed when he sees wlLh hls own eyes mllllons of people golng Lo bed hungry aL nlghL?Pow can one avold belng depressed when he sees wlLh hls own eyes mllllons of people sleeplng on Lhe sldewalks aL nlghL, no beds Lo go ln, no houses Lo sleep ln?Pow can one avold belng 16 8ob Pope (1903-2003) was a popular Amerlcan comedlan who sLarred ln movles and performed mosL famously ln unlLed Servlce CrlglnaLlon (uSC) shows where he enLerLalned mlllLary personnel for over flfLy years.17 klng ls referenclng Lhe famous Lrlp Lhe Lwo made Lo lndla wlLh L.u. 8eddlck ln early 1939.klng's orlglnal and earnesL plans for Lhls Lrlp also lncluded a vlslL Lo 8ussla, buL Lhls was abandoned as a vlslL Lo Lhls communlsL counLry durlng Lhe helghL of Lhe Cold War would have had Loo many negaLlve and damaglng pollLlcal lmpllcaLlons. 18 Agaln uslng anaphora, klng uses varlanLs on Lhe words depresslng" or depressed" four consecuLlve Llmes. 8 depressed when he dlscovers LhaL ouL of lndla's populaLlon of more Lhan 400 mllllon people, more Lhan 360 mllllon make an annual lncome of less Lhan 70 dollars a year?MosL of Lhese people have never seen a docLor or a denLlsL. And as l sLood Lhere l had Lo noLlce Lhese condlLlons.SomeLhlng wlLhln me crled ouL, can we Amerlca sLand ldly by and noL be concerned?An answer came, Ch no," because Lhe desLlny of Lhe unlLed SLaLes ls Lled up wlLh Lhe desLlny of lndla and every oLher naLlon.And l sLarLed Lhlnklng abouL Lhe facL LhaL ln Amerlca we spend more Lhan a mllllon dollars a day Lo sLore surplus food and l sald Lo myself, l know where we can sLore LhaL food free of charge ln Lhe wrlnkled sLomachs of Lhe mllllons of Cod's chlldren over Lhe world who go Lo bed hungry aL nlghL.And maybe we spend far Loo much [applause lnLerrupLs] And maybe we spend far Loo much of our naLlonal budgeL esLabllshlng mlllLary bases around Lhe world raLher Lhan bases of genulne concern and undersLandlng. (21:09) All l'm saylng ls slmply Lhls: LhaL all llfe ls lnLerrelaLed, and all men are caughL ln an lnescapable neLwork of muLuallLy, Lled ln a slngle garmenL of desLlny.And whaLever affecLs one dlrecLly affecLs all lndlrecLly.And for some sLrange reason, l can never be whaL l oughL Lo be unLll you are whaL you oughL Lo be, and you can never be whaL you oughL Lo be unLll l am whaL l oughL Lo be. [applause]1hls ls Lhe way llfe ls made, lnLerrelaLed.!ohn uonne quoLed some years ago and placed lL ln graphlc Lerms:no man ls an lslandLnLlre of lLself.Lvery man ls a plece of Lhe conLlnenL,A parL of Lhe maln.19 19 1hough noL orlglnally a poem, Lhls passage (memorlzed by klng) ls from Lhe flrsL four llnes of !ohn uonne's poem now referred Lo as elLher lor Whom Lhe 8ell 1olls" or no Man ls an lsland."1he orlglnal passage was wrlLLen ln prose ln 1624 as MedlLaLlon 17 from uonne's uevoLlons upon LmergenL Cccaslons. 9 And he goes on Loward Lhe end Lo say: Any man's deaLh dlmlnlshes me,8ecause l am20 lnvolved ln manklnd, 1herefore never send Lo know for whom Lhe bell Lolls, lL Lolls for Lhee."21

We are challenged Lo see Lhls more Lhan ever before.(22:21) 1here ls a second challenge whlch ls parLlcularly relevanL for Lhose of us who have been on Lhe oppressed end of Lhe old order.We musL achleve excellence ln our varlous flelds of endeavor.uoors are openlng now ln many, many areas.We are challenged Lo be ready Lo enLer Lhese doors as Lhey open.l see many young people here LonlghL, and lf Lhere ls any one Lhlng LhaL l would llke Lo leave wlLh you, lL ls Lhls:LhaL opporLunlLles are comlng Lo us, Loday's young people, LhaL dld noL come Lo our moLhers and faLhers.1he greaL challenge ls Lo prepare ourselves ln order Lo be ready Lo face Lhese challenglng opporLunlLles.8alph Waldo Lmerson sald ln a lecLure back ln 1871 LhaL lf a man can wrlLe a beLLer book, or preach a beLLer sermon, or make a beLLer mouseLrap Lhan hls nelghbor, even lf he bullds hls house ln Lhe woods, Lhe world wlll make a beaLen paLh Lo hls door.221hls wlll become lncreaslngly Lrue, and so we musL seL ouL Lo do a good [ob.We musL work hard.We musL reallze LhaL because of 20 klng Laps Lhe podlum here. 21 1hese are llnes 10-13 from uonne's poem."22 SlgnlflcanLly alLered by klng, Lmerson's orlglnal llnes read: lf a man has good corn, or wood, or boards, or plgs Lo sell, or can make beLLer chalrs or knlves, cruclbles or church organs, Lhan anybody else, you wlll flnd a broad hard-beaLen road Lo hls house, Lhough lL be ln Lhe woods." 10 condlLlons of oppresslon we have been Lhrown behlnd culLurally and oLherwlse, and LhaL means we may have Lo work a llLLle harder Lhan oLher people.lor he who geLs behlnd ln Lhe race wlll forever remaln behlnd and run fasLer Lhan Lhe man ln fronL.1hls ls whaL we are challenged Lo do.LeL us seL ouL Lo do a good [ob, noL [usL a good negro [ob.lor ln Lhls new order we, we, we wlll be compeLlng wlLh people, ln Lhe old order maybe lL was all rlghL Lo [usL Lhlnk of compeLlng wlLh negroes.lf you are seLLlng ouL Lo be [usL a good negro schoolLeacher, or a good negro docLor, or a good negro lawyer, or good negro preacher, or good negro sklll laborer, or good negro beauLlclan, or a good negro barber, you have already flunked your maLrlculaLlon exam for enLrance lnLo Lhe unlverslLy of Pope.[applause] A challenge comes Lo us Lo do a good [ob. And do LhaL [ob so well LhaL Lhe llvlng, Lhe dead, or Lhe unborn couldn'L do lL beLLer.lf lL falls your loL Lo be a sLreeL sweeper, sweep sLreeLs llke 8aphael palnLed plcLures, sweep sLreeLs llke Mlchelangelo carved marble, sweep sLreeLs llke 8eeLhoven composed muslc and llke Shakespeare wroLe poeLry.Sweep sLreeLs so well LhaL all Lhe hosL of heaven and earLh wlll have Lo pause and say, Pere llved a greaL sLreeL sweeper who swepL hls [ob well." [applause]lf you can'L be a plne on Lhe Lop of Lhe hlll,be a scrub ln Lhe valley-buL beLhe besL llLLle scrub on Lhe slde of Lhe rlll,23

8e a bush lf you can'L be a Lree. lf you can'L be a hlghway, [usL be a Lrall,lf you can'L be Lhe sun, be a sLar. lor lL lsn'L by slze LhaL you wln or you fall-be Lhe besL of whaLever you are.24 [applause] 23 1he flnal word of Lhls dellvered llne (and Lhe orlglnal poem) ls rlll" Lhough lL's ofLen noLed ln oLher conLexLs as belng hlll." 11 1here's a real challenge Lo work courageously and unLlrlngly Lo remove every vesLlge of segregaLlon from Lhls naLlon, norLh and SouLh.LeL us noL compromlse23 aL Lhls polnL.SegregaLlon ls wrong.LeL us noL compromlse aL Lhls polnL.SegregaLlon ls a cancer ln Lhe body pollLlc whlch musL be removed before our democraLlc healLh can be reallzed.LeL us noL compromlse on Lhls.SegregaLlon ls an llleglLlmaLe chlld born as Lhe resulL of an llllclL lnLercourse beLween ln[usLlce and lmmorallLy.26We cannoL compromlse on Lhls.We musL make lL clear LhaL we wlll no longer be conLenL wlLh Lhe docLrlne of separaLe buL equal.We wlll no longer be conLenL wlLh Lhe bulldlng of a blg school bulldlng for negroes only, however beauLlful lL ls.lL may be alr condlLloned buL lf lL ls segregaLed, lL ls an lnferlor school.27 [applause] We musL make lL clear28 LhaL we are no longer conLenL wlLh Loken lnLegraLlon, for Loken lnLegraLlon ls llLLle more Lhan Loken democracy.We musL make lL clear LhaL we are concerned abouL shaklng Lhe very sLrucLure of Lhls socleLy Lo Lhe polnL LhaL a moral balance comes lnLo belng.And LhaL genulne good falLh lnLegraLlon wlll become a reallLy.(28:41) 8uL lL lsn'L [usL comlng.Somebody here LonlghL belleves LhaL.Somebody's looklng aL me LonlghL who feels LhaL we can [usL slL down and do noLhlng, and lL'll [usL come.Well, l'm afrald LhaL you 24 Also reclLed from memory, Lhls poeLry lncludes Lhe flrsL four llnes and Lhen Lhe lasL four llnes (13-16) of uouglass Malloch's 8e Lhe 8esL of WhaLever ?ou Are" (1926).As wlLh Lhe Cowper / WaLLs poeLry earller, klng may have flrsL heard Lhese llnes from 8en[amln Mays. 23 klng resLaLes Lhe ldeas of deflnlng segregaLlon and Lhen speaks of noL compromlslng" ln four consecuLlve senLences.26 1hls ldea prevlews anoLher llne Lo come laLer abouL everyone needlng Lo be someLhlng of a creaLlve obsLeLrlclan."1hese ldeas hlghllghL Lhe alLernaLlve LlLle klng someLlmes used for Lhls speech: 1he 8lrLh of a new Age." 27 1hese lasL Lhree senLences Look on added slgnlflcance as Lhey were dellvered ln Lhe gym of a segregaLed school. 28 uurlng hls pause, klng can be heard Lapplng Lhe podlum here. 12 don'L know hlsLory lf you belleve LhaL.PlsLory ls a long sLory, and someLlmes Lraglc sLory, of Lhe facL LhaL prlvlleged groups never glve up Lhelr prlvlleges volunLarlly.291hey never do lL wlLhouL sLrong reslsLance.PlsLory ls a long sLory of Lhe facL LhaL Llme never solves a problem by lLself, for Llme ls neuLral.lL can be used elLher consLrucLlvely or desLrucLlvely.And he who ls slLLlng around walLlng on Llme wlll be walLlng anoLher cenLury.30[applause] We've goL Lo see Lhls and see LhaL lL ls necessary Lo work and sLruggle.And we musL know LhaL lnLegraLlon ls noL some lavlsh dlsh LhaL Lhe whlLe man wlll pass ouL on a sllver plaLLer whlle Lhe negro merely furnlshes Lhe appeLlLe.We are golng Lo be free, we're golng Lo have Lo work for lL. We're golng Lo have Lo sLruggle31 for lL.We're golng Lo have Lo sacrlflce for lL.(30:19) We need Lo do Lhree or four Lhlngs LhaL l wanL Lo menLlon brlefly.lf we're golng Lo break down Lhe barrlers of segregaLlon, we musL conLlnue Lo reglsLer and voLe ln large numbers, for l am convlnced LhaL one of Lhe mosL slgnlflcanL sLeps LhaL Lhe negro can Lake aL Lhls hour32 ls LhaL shorL walk Lo Lhe voLlng booLh.lL can change condlLlons. l have seen lL ln so many slLuaLlons. l llved ln MonLgomery, Alabama where we dldn'L have Lhe balloL.1hey used varlous connlvlng meLhods Lo keep us from geLLlng lL.And so we dldn'L have lL.And because of LhaL we had a clLy commlsslon recalclLranL aL every polnL.We had a communlLy LhaL sLood ln Lhe way of our longlngs and asplraLlons aL every polnL.l llve ln ALlanLa, Ceorgla now and we have Lhe balloL.And l can say Lo you LhaL because of LhaL, Lhlngs are 29 1hough he wlll laLer dlsLance hlmself from communlsm," klng's loglc reveals [usL how well he undersLood karl Marx's ldeas on revoluLlon. 30 AnoLher cenLury" can be undersLood ln Lhe conLexL of klng's earller reference Lo Lhe LmanclpaLlon roclamaLlon belng wrlLLen exacLly one hundred years earller Lhan Lhe year he ls speaklng. 31 klng sLrlkes Lhe podlum once here. 32 klng sLrlkes Lhe podlum here. 13 happenlng ln ALlanLa.no mayor can be elecLed ln ALlanLa, Ceorgla33 wlLhouL Lhe negro voLes.34A very lnLeresLlng Lhlng happened.1he man who ls Lhe mayor now was runnlng agalnsL an arch-segregaLlonlsL ln Lhe run-off, a man named LesLer Maddox.Mr. LesLer Maddox, he ended up geLLlng more whlLe voLes Lhan Mr. lvan Allen, who's Lhe presenL mayor.Mr. LesLer Maddox goL 33,000 whlLe voLes, Mr. lvan Allen goL 33,000 whlLe voLes.(32:08) buL Lhe oLher slde ls Mr. lvan Allen goL 32,000 negro voLes and Mr. LesLer Maddox dldn'L geL a slngle negro voLe and lvan Allen beaL hlm overwhelmlngly 63,000 Lo 33,000.33Mr. Allen was runnlng for Covernor of Ceorgla, he was a segregaLlonlsL, he wenL around Lhe sLaLe saylng LhaL he would preserve segregaLlon.36 8uL when he sLarLed runnlng for Lhe mayor of ALlanLa, Ceorgla, and seelng Lhe powerful negro voLes, he sald l've seen Lhe llghL now, l know LhaL lnLegraLlon ls comlng.And as soon as he goL elecLed, he sLarLed worklng ln LhaL llghL.37l'm speaklng 33 klng Lapped hls knuckles on Lhe podlum several Llmes here Lo emphaslze hls polnL. 34 klng ls referenclng Lhe run-off elecLlon of 1961 followlng Lhe reLlremenL of former mayor Wllllam 8. ParLsfleld. AfLer Muggsy SmlLh was ellmlnaLed from conLenLlon, lvan Allen wenL on Lo wln when he recelved 63 of Lhe voLe. 33 ln regard Lo Lhe acLual numbers, ln Lhe predomlnanLly black preclncLs, Allen secured an overwhelmlng 21,611 voLes Lo Maddox's 237. 36 klng ls referenclng Allen's unsuccessful blds for offlce ln 1934 and 1937 when he ran on a segregaLlonlsL plaLform. 37 uesplLe hls pasL, (and klng's brlef porLrayal of hls flrsL Lwo years ln offlce whlch he offers here ln Lhe speech) Allen made several slgnlflcanL and genulne sLrldes ln race relaLlons. Cn hls flrsL day ln offlce as mayor, he removed all Lhe whlLe" and colored" slgns ln clLy hall.Allen was Lhe only souLhern pollLlclan Lo LesLlfy ln Congress on behalf of Lhe Clvll 8lghLs AcL of 1964.1hls was such a bold move LhaL he recelved deaLh LhreaLs LhaL forced hlm Lo be under pollce proLecLlon for a year.Moreover, Allen personally organlzed a 1,300 person banqueL honorlng klng for wlnnlng Lhe nobel eace rlze ln 1964.Pe rushed Lo CoreLLa klng's slde and was sLlll Lhere when word of her husband's assasslnaLlon was conflrmed.llnally, Allen hlmself Look Lo Lhe sLreeLs wlLhouL a helmeL Lrylng Lo sLop a 1966 rloL ln hls clLy sparked by Lhe deaLh of a black resldenL aL Lhe hands of a whlLe offlcer's bulleL. klng's commenLs here may reflecL more Lhan Lhe polnL he wanLs Lo make abouL Lhe lmporLance of Lhe balloL.Allen's lasLlng error as mayor came aL Lhls very Llme.ln laLe 1962, Allen erecLed a fence Lo separaLe a whlLe nelghborhood from a black nelghborhood.lL was evenLually removed Lo avold legal challenges.1hls acL colncldes wlLh Lhe hlsLorlcal momenL ln Llme when klng ls dellverlng Lhls speech.14 abouL Lhe power of Lhe balloL.We wlll be able Lo change Lhlngs, change Lhe sLrucLure of, Lhe pollLlcal sLrucLure of Lhe SouLh and of Lhe naLlon lf we wlll go ouL and geL Lhe balloL.(33:12) now we've goL Lo glve of our means lf we're gonna' be free.Ch lL ls a shame LhaL we glve so llLLle Lo such a serlous cause.And l Lhlnk abouL Lhe amounL of money LhaL we glve Lo Lhe clvll rlghLs movemenL, Lo Lhe organlzaLlons worklng ln Lhls fleld, and l become ashamed.And lL wlll be Lraglc lndeed lf hlsLorlans wlll be able Lo say ln fuLure generaLlons38LhaL aL Lhe helghL of Lhe LwenLleLh cenLury Lhe negro spenL39more for frlvollLles Lhan he dld for hls own freedom and for Lhe cause of [usLlce.So leL us glve blg money for Lhe cause of freedom. (34:08) 1hen we've goLLa conLlnue Lo work for meanlngful leglslaLlon.1hls ls lmporLanL. l know some people say, well, you can'L leglslaLe morals.1hey say, why do you Lhlnk abouL leglslaLlon??ou can'L change anybody Lhrough leglslaLlon.?ou've read Lhls argumenL.1hey sald lL's Lhrough educaLlon. So lf you work Lhrough educaLlonal processes a hundred or Lwo hundred years, Lhe whole Lhlng wlll work lLself ouL. Well, noL only ls lL Lrue LhaL we can'L afford Lo walL LhaL long, Lhe oLher slde ls Lrue.lL may be Lrue LhaL morallLy cannoL be leglslaLed buL behavlor can be regulaLed.40lL may be Lrue LhaL Lhe law cannoL make a man love me, rellglon and educaLlon wlll have Lo do LhaL, buL lL can keep hlm from lynchlng me,41 and l Lhlnk LhaL's preLLy lmporLanL also.[applause] 42 So leglslaLlon may noL be able Lo 38 klng slaps Lhe podlum here Lo emphaslze Lhls polnL. 39 1o relnforce, buL sofLen whaL he dld momenLs earller by slapplng Lhe podlum, klng now Laps Lhe podlum here.As Lechnlques LradlLlonally used by preachers, hls call ln Lhe very nexL senLence mlghL be undersLood as belng slmllar Lo a preacher asklng for a LlLhe or offerlng durlng a church servlce.Cne of klng's ob[ecLlves wlLh Lhls speech and personal appearance was Lo help ralse vlslblllLy and funds for Lhe 8ocky MounL voLers and lmprovemenL League. 40 ln Lyplcal call and response fashlon, a volce ln Lhe background from one of Lhe dlsLlngulshed members on Lhe plaLform can be heard saylng: l hear you." 41 Lynchlng, Lhe lllegal hanglng, burnlng, and someLlmes muLllaLlon occurred mosL ofLen Lo black men, women, and Leenage chlldren LhroughouL Lhe norLh and SouLh.Some esLlmaLes range as hlgh as 10,000 vlcLlms.1he number 13 change Lhe hearL, buL lL can resLraln Lhe hearLless and Lhls ls whaL we musL do Lhrough edu-ah-leglslaLlon.lL wlll Lake rellglon and educaLlon Lo change bad lnLernal aLLlLudes, buL leglslaLlon can conLrol Lhe exLernal effecLs of Lhose bad lnLernal aLLlLudes.And so we musL work for meanlngful leglslaLlon, clvll rlghLs leglslaLlon.lL's abouL Llme now for all of Lhe negroes ln norLh Carollna Lo geL reglsLered and voLe and send some senaLors up Lo WashlngLon who wlll voLe rlghL on clvll rlghLs.l wlsh we could have senL lrank Craham43 up Lhere a few years ago, and everyLhlng would be all rlghL. [applause] (36:12) And also, we musL conLlnue Lo work Lhrough Lhe courLs.1hls ls lmporLanL LhaL we work Lhrough Lhe courLs, Lo clarlfy Lhe law and Lo break down Lhe sysLem of segregaLlon wherever we can.And no one can doubL LhaL a brllllanL [ob has been done daLlng from Lhe Supreme CourL's declslon of 1934,44 all Lhe way up and Lhen declslons before LhaL, by brllllanL aLLorneys all over Lhls naLlon, and by Lhe brllllanL of 4,742 ls Lhe number of conflrmed vlcLlms from 1880-1968.1eeLh, Loes, bones, and oLher lLems from Lhese LorLures were ofLen sold as souvenlrs.osLcards were made and sold for pennles aplece, and by Lhe flrsL few years of Lhe LwenLleLh cenLury, Lhls buslness grossed over one mllllon dollars a year ln numbers noL ad[usLed for lnflaLlon. 42 Agaln, someone on Lhe plaLform responds Lo klng wlLh l hear you." 43 1hough appolnLed Lo Lhe u.S. SenaLe on March 29, 1949 Lo flll Lhe vacancy caused by Lhe deaLh of !. Melvllle 8roughLon, lrank Craham losL Lhe nomlnaLlon afLer servlng unLll november 26, 1930.Craham, who served as presldenL of Lhe unlverslLy of norLh Carollna aL Chapel Plll from 1930-1949, was a llberal progresslve on race relaLlons.Craham losL a dramaLlc 1930 bld for Lhe senaLe Lo Wlllls SmlLh.AfLer Craham won 48.9 of Lhe voLe ln Lhe prlmary (SmlLh secured only 40.3), a run-off was allowed under sLaLe law.1hough SmlLh orlglnally decllned Lhe run-off opporLunlLy, he was buoyed by Lhe Llmely passlng of Lhe SweaLL v. alnLer case ln whlch Lhe nC Supreme courL ouLlawed segregaLlon ln schools.8eacLlonarles agalnsL Lhls, as well as Lhe appearance of !esse Pelms personally [olnlng a rally ouLslde of SmlLh's home changed SmlLh's mlnd.Craham was labeled as a soclallsL and communlsL supporLer."unable Lo overcome flyers LhaL read WhlLe eople Wake up," Craham losL Lhe run-off Lo SmlLh by 19,323 voLes.Craham was also hurL by Lhe facL LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of blacks LhaL were reglsLered Lo voLe were reglsLered as 8epubllcans. 1he race ls generally regarded as one of Lhe mosL overLly raclsL elecLlons ln norLh Carollna hlsLory.8un-off elecLlons are no longer allowed ln prlmarles when Lhe Lop candldaLe has aL leasL 40 of Lhe voLe. 44 klng ls referenclng Lhe hlsLorlc 8rown v. 8oard of LducaLlon case LhaL LheoreLlcally ouLlawed segregaLlon ln schools. 16 and dedlcaLed and dlllgenL work of Lhe naLlonal AssoclaLlon for Lhe AdvancemenL of Colored eople.We musL conLlnue Lo work Lhrough Lhe courLs and supporL Lhls greaL organlzaLlon and all Lhose who are seeklng Lo change Lhese condlLlons. (37:06) And Lhen afLer worklng Lhrough Lhe courLs, and afLer worklng Lhrough leglslaLlon, afLer golng Lo Lhe polls, leL us never forgeL LhaL a courL order can never dellver rlghLs, lL can only declare Lhem.And only when people Lhemselves begln Lo acL are laws and rlghLs whlch are on paper glven llfe blood.And so every lndlvldual musL be someLhlng of a creaLlve obsLeLrlclan presldlng aL Lhe blrLh of a new age,43 wllllng Lo engage ln non-vlolenL dlrecL acLlon Lo supplemenL whaL can be done Lhrough Lhe courLs.And l say LhaL aL Lhls polnL: marvelous Lhlngs have been done. non-vlolenL dlrecL acLlon46 ls a powerful lnsLrumenL.LeL us never overlook Lhe power of non-vlolence.lL has a way of dlsarmlng Lhe opponenL.lL exposes hls moral defenses.lL weakens hls morale and aL Lhe same Llme lL works on hls consclence and he [usL doesn'L know whaL Lo do wlLh lL.Pe doesn'L know how Lo handle lL. lf he doesn'L beaL you, wonderful.lf he beaLs you, you develop Lhe quleL courage of somehow accepLlng blows wlLhouL reLallaLlng.lf he doesn'L puL you ln [all, wonderful.nobody wlLh any sense llkes Lo go Lo [all.8uL lf he puLs you ln [all, you go ln LhaL [all and Lransform lL from a dungeon of shame Lo a haven of freedom and human dlgnlLy.47[applause] (39:00) Lven lf he Lrles Lo klll you, you develop Lhe power wlLhln, seelng LhaL some Lhlngs are so dear, some Lhlngs are so preclous, some Lhlngs are so eLernally Lrue LhaL Lhey're worLh dylng for.And lf a man has noL dlscovered someLhlng LhaL he wlll dle for, he lsn'L flL Lo llve. [applause]lf a man ls 30 or 33 as l happen Lo be, faclng some greaL challenge and LruLh, some greaL 43 1he 8lrLh of a new Age" was Lhe alLernaLlve LlLle klng used for Lhls speech LhroughouL 1936.46 ulfferenL from merely proLesLlng, non-vlolenL dlrecL acLlon" ls used Lo descrlbe an approach LhaL calls for an lmmedlaLe and measurable change LhaL has been clearly deflned. 47 1he phrase human dlgnlLy" was ofLen used by A. hlllp 8andolph, Lhe dean of clvll rlghLs leaders aL Lhls Llme and Lhe offlclal organlzer of Lhe March on WashlngLon ln 1963. 17 creaLlve opporLunlLy, some greaL need Lo sLand up for whaL ls rlghL, and he ls afrald Lo do lL because he fears LhaL he may lose a [ob or LhaL hls house wlll geL bombed or LhaL he wlll be kllled, and he wanLs Lo llve a few more years. Pe may llve unLll he's 80, buL he ls [usL as dead aL 33 as he ls aL 80, and [usL as LalnLed[lnLerrupLed by applause](40:13) Somehow Lhe cessaLlon of breaLhlng ln hls llfe ls merely Lhe belaLed announcemenL of an earller deaLh of Lhe splrlL.Pe dled when he falled Lo Lake a sLand for whaL was rlghL, Lhls ls whaL non-vlolence says Lo every lndlvldual who sLands up ln Lhe sLruggle: LhaL some Lhlngs are so greaL and dear LhaL Lhey are worLh dylng for.(40:47)And lL also says LhaL you can work for LhaL whlch ls morally rlghL wlLh means LhaL are rlghL.?ou can work Lo secure moral ends Lhrough moral means.Cne of Lhe greaL phllosophlcal debaLes of hlsLory has been over Lhe quesLlon of ends and means.And Lhere have been Lhose who have argued LhaL Lhe ends [usLlfles Lhe means.l Lhlnk Lhe greaL weakness and Lragedy of communlsm48 ls rlghL here.8ead Lenln and as he says: lylng, decelL, vlolence, wlLhholdlng and conceallng Lhe LruLh are all [usLlflable means Lo brlng abouL Lhe end of Lhe classless socleLy.491hls ls where non-vlolence breaks wlLh communlsm and any oLher sysLem whlch argues LhaL Lhe end [usLlfles Lhe means, because somehow Lhe end ls pre-exlsLenL ln Lhe means and lmmoral means cannoL brlng abouL moral ends.And Lhls ls whaL non-vlolence says. [applause] (41:44) And Lhen lL makes lL posslble for Lhe lndlvldual Lo seek Lo geL LhaL whlch ls rlghL and defeaL an un[usL soclal order, and yeL malnLaln an acLlve love for Lhe perpeLraLors of LhaL un[usL soclal order.?ou can sLand up agalnsL segregaLlon and love Lhe segregaLlonlsL.1hls ls Lhe power of non-vlolence.no, we 48 1hough he clearly undersLands Lhe prlnclples of boLh Marx and Lenln, klng lnLenLlonally dlsLances hlmself from accusaLlons of belng a communlsL sympaLhlzer.lL ls lnLeresLlng Lo noLe here LhaL klng only dlsLances hlmself from communlsm ln regards Lo whaL he characLerlzes as lLs accepLable meLhod of vlolence.1he general ldea of revoluLlon, change, and a shared classlessness are noL places where hls ldeals break" wlLh Lenln. 49 1he language ls a blL confuslng.klng ls noL Lrylng Lo say LhaL Lhere wlll be an end Lo a classless socleLy.8aLher, he ls Lrylng Lo say LhaL Lhe end Lhey wanL Lo brlng lnLo belng ls one of a classless socleLy.18 need noL haLe.30We need noL become blLLer. We need noL geL our weapons.We have a powerful weapon, Lhe power of our souls.PaLe ls dangerous.lL affecLs Lhe haLer as well as Lhe haLed.sychlaLrlsLs are Lelllng us now LhaL many of Lhe sLrange Lhlngs LhaL happen ln Lhe sub-consclous, many of Lhe lnner confllcLs are rooLed ln haLe. And so Lhey are now saylng, love or perlsh.And lsn'L lL wonderful LhaL we have a weapon rooLlng from our greaL LradlLlon of ChrlsLlanlLy whlch says Lhere ls anoLher way.We need noL haLe.1here ls anoLher way.We need noL use vlolence.And Lhere ls anoLher way.And we can sLand before our mosL vlolenL opponenLs and say, we wlll meeL your naLural capaclLy Lo lnfllcL sufferlng by our capaclLy Lo endure sufferlng. We wlll meeL your physlcal force wlLh soul force.uo Lo us whaL you wlll, and we wlll sLlll love you.31We cannoL ln all good consclence obey your un[usL laws because non-cooperaLlon wlLh evll ls as much a moral obllgaLlon as ls cooperaLlon wlLh good. And so Lhrow us ln [all and we wlll sLlll love you.8omb our homes and LhreaLen our chlldren and as dlfflculL as lL ls, we wlll sLlll love you.Send your hooded perpeLraLors of vlolence lnLo our communlLles aL Lhe mldnlghL hour and drlve us ouL on some wayslde road and beaL us and leave us half dead, we wlll sLlll love you.8e assured [lnLerrupLed by applause] 8e assured LhaL we wlll wear you down by our capaclLy Lo suffer.Cne day we wlll wln our freedom.We wlll noL only wln freedom for ourselves, we wlll so appeal Lo your hearL and Lo your consclence LhaL we wlll wln you ln Lhe process and our vlcLory wlll be a double vlcLory. [applause] (44:21) ?es my frlends, l belleve LhaL Lhe answer Lhls ls Lhe llmlLed lnslghL LhaL l have Lrled Lo galn ln Lhls whole sLruggle.And lf we wlll do Lhls, we wlll32 be able Lo achleve noL only de-segregaLlon buL also 30 ln response Lo klng, a volce can be heard saylng 1haL's rlghL." 31 ln Lhe use of eplsLrophe LhaL follows ln we wlll sLlll love you," klng ls alludlng Lo llnes 13-16 from LangsLon Pughes's poem, 8roLherly Love" (1936) LhaL was wrlLLen ln dlrecL response Lo klng's role ln Lhe MonLgomery 8us 8oycoLL of 1933-36. 32 Lngaglng ln anaphora, We wlll" ls used here Lo begln four consecuLlve ldeas. 19 lnLegraLlon. And we wlll noL go lnLo Lhe new age wlLh Lhe wrong aLLlLude.We wlll noL seek Lo rlse from a poslLlon of dlsadvanLage Lo one of advanLage Lhus subverLlng [usLlce.We wlll noL subsLlLuLe one Lyranny for anoLher.8lack supremacy ls as dangerous as whlLe supremacy.And Cod ls noL lnLeresLed merely ln Lhe freedom of black men, brown men, and yellow men.Cod ls lnLeresLed ln Lhe freedom of Lhe whole human race. [applause] And so we have a marvelous opporLunlLy Lo go on ln Lhese days ahead and break down all of Lhe barrlers of segregaLlon.We may have Lo slL ln someLlme.We may have Lo wade ln someLlmes.33We may have Lo sLand ln someLlme.34We may have Lo kneel ln someLlme.We may have Lo plckeL someLlme.We may have Lo boycoLL someLlme. We may have Lo [all-ln someLlme.8uL all of Lhls LogeLher ls Lo geL Amerlca ouL of Lhe dllemma ln whlch she flnds herself as a resulL of segregaLlon.(43:38) 1hls has been Lhe beauLy of Lhe sLudenL movemenL.1hese young people have Laken our deep groans and passlonaLe yearnlngs for freedom, and fllLered Lhem ln Lhelr own Lender souls and fashloned Lhem lnLo a creaLlve proLesL, whlch ls an eplc known all over Lhe world.And for all of Lhese monLhs Lhey have moved ln a unlquely meanlngful orblL lmparLlng llfe and heaL Lo dlsLanL saLelllLes.And as a resulL of Lhelr work, more Lhan 130 clLles ln Lhe SouLh have lnLegraLed Lhelr lunch counLers33 wlLhln Lhe lasL Lwo years wlLhouL a slngle courL sulL.8uses are lnLegraLed all over Lhe SouLh, even ln Alabama, and ln some places ln Mlsslsslppl, and you know when LhaL can happen some work has been done. [laughLer] So we see someLhlng Laklng place.And l can only say Lo you LonlghL: LeL us conLlnue.As we llve ln Lhls new age wlLh all of lLs greaL posslblllLles.LeL us malnLaln falLh ln Lhe fuLure. 33 Wade lns" occurred when blacks proLesLed agalnsL segregaLed pools and beaches. 34 WlLh hls use of We may" aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhese seven senLences coupled wlLh Lhe repeLlLlon of Lhe word someLlme" aL Lhelr end, klng ls comblnlng anaphora and eplsLrope here. 33 1hls would have had greaL resonance for Lhe audlence as Lhe lnLegraLlon of lunch counLers had dlrecL Lles Lo norLh Carollna.1he 8oyal lce Cream arlor was Lhe slLe of a proLesL ln uurham, nC on !une 23, 1937 and Lhe Creensboro slL-lns galned naLlonal aLLenLlon (lncludlng from klng hlmself) ln lebruary of 1960.20 l know some of you, and suddenly all over, we geL weary.l know LhaL. And somebody ls asklng here LonlghL, how long wlll lL Lake Lo solve Lhls problem?36 Pow long wlll pre[udlce bllnd Lhe vlslons of men, darken Lhelr undersLandlng, and drlve brlghL-eyed wlsdom from her sacred Lhrone?Somebody's asklng LonlghL,37 when wlll wounded [usLlce be llfLed from Lhls dusL of shame Lo relgn supreme among Lhe chlldren of men? When wlll Lhe radlanL sLar of hope be plunged agalnsL Lhe nocLurnal bosom of Lhls lonely nlghL, (48:04) plucked from weary souls Lhe manacles of fear and Lhe chalns of deaLh.Pow long somebody's asklng wlll [usLlce be cruclfled, and LruLh be burled?38 Pow long wlll we have Lo sLruggle ln order Lo geL Lhose rlghLs whlch are baslc, Cod-glven rlghLs deep down ln Lhe ConsLlLuLlon of Lhls naLlon?39 (48:30). 36 klng concluded wlLh hls mosL famous verslon of Lhls Pow Long, noL Long" seL plece when he spoke from Lhe sLeps of Lhe caplLal aL Lhe flnal march Lo Selma, Alabama, on March 23, 1963.37 Someone can be heard respondlng ?es." 38 klng's dramaLlc lmagery feaLurlng a sacred Lhrone, [usLlce cruclfled, and LruLh burled esLabllshes Lhe lmagery Lo come ln Lhe noL long" secLlon of hls speech where he bralds LogeLher hls own lmagery wlLh LhaL of oLher poeLs.1hls movemenL from cruclflxlon Lo Lhe second comlng hlghllghLs Lhe maln Lheme of Lhe speech ln several hlghly lmaglnaLlve ways.ln addlLlon Lo lLs blbllcal lmagery, lL also emphaslzes Lhe lmporL role poeLry played ln klng's ablllLy Lo communlcaLe hls Lheme. 39 klng's use of how long" echoes several passages of poeLry ln Lhe 8lble.lL's lmporLanL Lo remember LhaL Lhese are noL only passages of scrlpLure, buL also passages of poeLry.1he flrsL Lwo verses of salm 13 are Lhe mosL relevanL: Pow long wllL Lhou forgeL me, Ch Lord?for ever? Pow long wllL Lhou hlde my face from me? Pow long shall l Lake counsel ln my soul, havlng sorrow ln my hearL dally? Pow long shall mlne enemy be exalLed over me? ln addlLlon Lo salm 13, Lhe phrase how long" ls also used ln salm 33:17, salm 79:3,10, salm 80:4, and salm 89:46.CLher blbllcal quesLlons LhaL begln wlLh how long" lnclude Pabakkuk 1:2, Lxodus 10:3, l Samuel 16:1, and !eremlah 31:22. 21 And l can only say Lo you LonlghL: noL long.60l do noL know Lhe daLe, buL l've read a few llnes ln hlsLory.And lL Lells us a sLory, a sLory LhaL has broad moral lmpllcaLlons, and LhaL ls LhaL Lhere ls a check-polnL ln Lhe unlverse, and LhaL evll may occupy Lhe Lhrone for a day, buL ulLlmaLely lL musL glve way Lo Lhe powerful forces of [usLlce and goodness.lL Lells us ln our own ChrlsLlan falLh LhaL evll may so shape evenLs LhaL Caesar wlll occupy Lhe palace and ChrlsL Lhe cross.8uL one day LhaL same ChrlsL wlll rlse up and spllL hlsLory lnLo A.u. and 8.C. so LhaL even Lhe llfe of Caesar musL be daLed by hls name.lL Lells us a sLory: noL long.Pow long? noL long, LhaL ls Lhe sLory of my falLh.1here ls someLhlng ln Lhls unlverse whlch [usLlfles Carlyle ln saylng, no lle can llve forever."61 1here ls someLhlng ln Lhls unlverse whlch [usLlfles Wllllam Cullen 8ryanL ln saylng, 1ruLh crushed Lo earLh wlll rlse agaln."621here ls someLhlng ln Lhls unlverse whlch [usLlfled !ames 8ussell Lowell ln saylng,1ruLh forever on Lhe scaffold, wrong forever on Lhe Lhrone,- ?eL LhaL scaffold sways Lhe fuLure, and behlnd Lhe dlm unknown,SLandeLh Cod wlLhln Lhe shadows, keeplng waLch above hls own."63

60 A laugh can be heard here.8ecause of where lL occurs (as klng moves from Pow long?" Lo noL long," lL ls llkely from Lhe same man who laughs laLer when klng moves form llsLlng sLaLes ln Lhe norLh Lo Lhen exLend freedom Lo mounLalns ln Lhe SouLh. 61 1hls ls from 1homas Carlyle's (1793-1881) prose plece 1he lrench 8evoluLlon (1837) where Lhe Lngllshman wroLe: lor lf Lhere be a lalLh, from of old, as we ofLen repeaL, LhaL no Lle can llve for ever.1he very 1ruLh has Lo change lLs vesLure, from Llme Lo Llme, and be born agaln.8uL all Lles have senLence of deaLh wrlLLen down agalnsL Lhem, and Peaven's Chancery lLself, and, slowly or fasL, advance lncandescenLly Lowards Lhelr hour" (arL l, 8ook vl, chapLer 3). 62 1he Amerlcan 8ryanL (1794-1878) beglns sLanza 9 of Lhe poem 1he 8aLLlefleld" (1839): 1ruLh, crushed Lo earLh, shall rlse agaln / Lhe eLernal years of Cod are hers." 63 Llnes 38-40 of Lhe Amerlcan !ames 8ussell Lowell's (1819-1891) poem 1he resenL Crlsls" (1844) read:1ruLh forever on Lhe scaffold, Wrong forever on Lhe Lhrone,- ?eL LhaL scaffold sways Lhe fuLure, and, behlnd Lhe dlm unknown, SLandeLh Cod wlLhln Lhe shadow, keeplng waLch above hls own. 22 1here ls someLhlng ln Lhls unlverse whlch [usLlfled Lhe 8lble ln saylng: you shall reap whaL you sow.64

Pow long? noL long. [applause] (30:22) 1haL ls Lhe sLory . . . 63 And so my frlends of 8ocky MounL, l have a dream LonlghL.lL ls a dream rooLed66 deeply ln Lhe Amerlcan dream67:l have a dream LhaL one day down ln Sasser CounLy, Ceorgla,68 where Lhey burned Lwo churches down a few days ago69 because negroes wanLed Lo reglsLer and voLe, one day rlghL down Lhere llLLle black boys and llLLle black glrls wlll be able Lo [oln hands wlLh llLLle whlLe boys and llLLle whlLe glrls and walk Lhe sLreeLs as broLhers and slsLers. 64 1wo passages from Lhe 8lble LhaL speak of reaplng whaL you sow" are CalaLlans 6:7, !ob 4:8, and 2 CorlnLhlans 9:6.63 klng's lnaudlble nexL words were llkely 1haL ls Lhe sLory . . . of my falLh." 66 klng's meLaphor of rooLed" suggesLs LhaL Lhls dream has Lhe Amerlcan dream as one of lLs rooLs, buL lL has oLher rooLs as well LhaL have enabled lL Lo grow lnLo someLhlng all lLs own.1wo of Lhe oLher rooLs would lnclude blbllcal prophecy and Lhe poeLry of LangsLon Pughes.67 klng began Laklng Lhe ldea of Lhe Amerlcan dream as a sub[ecL for hls speeches as early as 1960. 68 Sasser CounLy, Ceorgla does noL exlsL.AL leasL Lwo explanaLlons are posslble for why klng references Sasser as a counLy.llrsL, lL ls posslble LhaL klng, uslng Lhls brand new seL plece, slmply sllpped and referred Lo Lhe clLy as a counLy.Second, klng may have lnLenLlonally creaLed a new counLy LhaL doesn'L exlsL Lo hlghllghL Lhe facL LhaL he ls now dreamlng of a new world. WlLh lLs hlsLorlcally and well known counLles llke 8ad 8aker" CounLy and 1errlble 1errell" CounLy, Lhe flcLlLlous Sasser would be a beLLer and brlghLer place ln whlch chlldren of all colors could Lruly [oln hands as broLhers and slsLers.Sasser, Ceorgla, ls locaLed ln 1errlble 1errell" CounLy.As such, Lhls vlslon of Sasser CounLy" would Lruly represenL Lhe old order passlng away and Lhe new order comlng lnLo belng.69 klng had recenLly vlslLed Lhe clLy of Sasser exacLly eleven days earller where he spoke aL a ceremony Lo commemoraLe Lhe burnlng of Lwo churches (MounL Mary 8apLlsL and MounL Cllve 8apLlsL).Sasser was also very much on hls mlnd as he had [usL flnlshed Lravellng Lo new ?ork ClLy Lo ralse $10,000 from nelson 8ockefeller Lo resLore Lhese bulldlngs. 23 l have a dream LhaL one day rlghL here ln 8ocky MounLaln, norLh Carollna,70 Lhe sons of former slaves and Lhe sons of former slave-owners wlll meeL aL Lhe Lable of broLherhood, knowlng LhaL ouL of one blood Cod made all men Lo dwell upon Lhe face of Lhe earLh.71 l have a dream72 LhaL one day men all over Lhls naLlon wlll recognlze LhaL all men were creaLed equal and endowed by Lhelr creaLor wlLh cerLaln unallenable rlghLs.73 70 Cnly Lwo senLences earller, klng rlghLly named Lhe clLy as 8ocky MounL."Pere hls cholce Lo call Lhe clLy 8ocky MounLaln" suggesLs lnLenLlonallLy.1hls cholce can be undersLood as klng lmaglnlng LhaL Lhls segregaLed clLy wlll become lnLegraLed as he conLlnues Lo dream of a new world.1he cholce adds Lo Lhe propheLlc and vlslonary naLure of Lhls dream. 71 klng ls alludlng Lo AcLs 17: 26.1hls verse has a long hlsLory of belng used Lo argue ln favor of equallLy for Afrlcan Amerlcans.ln conLexL, Lhe verse reads: !" Cod LhaL made Lhe world and all Lhlngs Lhereln, seelng LhaL he ls Lord of heaven and earLh, dwelleLh noL ln Lemples made wlLh hands, !$ nelLher ls worshlpped wlLh men's hands, as Lhough he needed any Lhlng, seelng he glveLh Lo all llfe, and breaLh, and all Lhlngs,!% And haLh made of one blood all naLlons of men for Lo dwell on all Lhe face of Lhe earLh, and haLh deLermlned Lhe Llmes before appolnLed, and Lhe bounds of Lhelr hablLaLlon.!& 1haL Lhey should seek Lhe Lord, lf haply Lhey mlghL feel afLer hlm, and flnd hlm, Lhough he be noL far from every one of us:!' lor ln hlm we llve, and move, and have our belng, as cerLaln also of your own poeLs have sald, lor we are also hls offsprlng." 72 lL ls no colncldence LhaL klng's cadence, Lheme, and repeLlLlon of l have a dream" bear a very sLrong resemblance Lo LangsLon Pughes's (1902-1967) poem l uream a World" (1941).klng knew Lhls poem well, and he even rewroLe lL llne by llne and placed lL ln Lhe same poslLlon of hls speech when he dellvered Lhe flrsL verslon of Lhls address ln 8uffalo, n?, on AugusL 11, 1936.Pughes's poem reads: l dream a world where man no oLher man wlll scorn, Where love wlll bless Lhe earLh And peace lLs paLhs adorn. l dream a world where all Wlll know sweeL freedom's way, Where greed no longer saps Lhe soul nor avarlce bllghLs our day. A world l dream where black or whlLe, WhaLever race you be, Wlll share Lhe bounLles of Lhe earLh 24 l have a dream LonlghL.74Cne day Lhe words of Amos wlll become real:LeL [usLlce roll down llke waLers and rlghLeousness llke a mlghLy sLream."73 l have a dream LonlghL.Cne day every valley shall be exalLed and every mounLaln and hlll shall be made low.Crooked places wlll be made sLralghL, and Lhe rough places wlll be made sLrange,76 Lhe glory of Lhe Lord wlll be revealed and all flesh shall see lL LogeLher.77 And every man ls free, Where wreLchedness wlll hang lLs head And [oy, llke a pearl, ALLends Lhe needs of all manklnd- Cf such l dream, our world!73 klng ls referenclng 1homas !efferson's words from Lhe ueclaraLlon of lndependence (1776): We hold Lhese LruLhs Lo be self-evldenL, LhaL all men are creaLed equal, LhaL Lhey are endowed by Lhelr CreaLor wlLh cerLaln unallenable 8lghLs, LhaL among Lhese are Llfe, LlberLy and Lhe pursulL of Papplness." 74 AfLer lnLroduclng Lhe Lheme of hls new seL plece wlLh Lhe words deeply rooLed ln Lhe Amerlcan dream," klng has doubled Lhe cadence of hls prevlous uses of anaphora and eplsLrophe ln Lhls speech by creaLlng elghL LoLal llnes LhaL begln wlLh l have a dream." 73 klng ls referenclng Lhe poeLry (and prophecy) of Amos 3:24: 8uL leL [usLlce roll down llke waLers / And rlghLeousness llke an ever-flowlng sLream." 76 1hough Lhe end of Lhls word ls nearly mumbled (or losL ln hls vlbraLo dellvery), klng seems Lo say Lhe word sLrange."ln lsalah 40: 4, Lhls word ls plaln."Pls pause before Lhls phrase (beglnnlng wlLh and") may suggesL LhaL he has forgoLLen parL of Lhls passage.1hls may be due ln parL Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhls ls a new seL plece ln hls reperLolre.Powever, anoLher explanaLlon ls LhaL klng has (perhaps for Lhe Lhlrd Llme) lnLenLlonally mlspronounced a place name Lo communlcaLe hls vlslon of a new world.A world ln whlch Sasser CounLy replaces 1errlble 1errell" CounLy, 8ocky MounLaln" replaces 8ocky MounL, and Lhe sLrange" replaces whaL ls plaln" hlghllghL Lhe propheLlc naLure of Lhls dream.1aklng Lhe ldea menLloned earller ln Lhls verse of lsalah, klng's lncanLaLory vlslon Lransforms Lhe rough places" of Lhe world (Lhe raclsL and / segregaLed clLles of Sasser and 8ocky MounL) by maklng Lhem wonderfully new and sLrange."77 1he poeLry (and prophecy) of lsalah 40: 4-3 reads: 4Lvery valley shall be exalLed,and every mounLaln and hlll shall be made low:and Lhe crooked shall be made sLralghL,and Lhe rough places plaln: 23 l have a dream LonlghL.78Cne day men wlll do unLo oLhers as Lhey would have oLhers Lo do unLo Lhem.79

l have a dream LonlghL.80 Cne day my llLLle daughLer and my Lwo sons wlll grow up ln a world noL consclous of Lhe color of Lhelr skln buL only consclous of Lhe facL LhaL Lhey are members of Lhe human race.81 l have a dream LonlghL LhaL someday we wlll be free.82 We wlll be free.83[applause] We wlll be sLandlng here, we wlll be able Lo slng wlLh new meanlngMy counLry, Lls of Lhee,SweeL land of llberLy, 3And Lhe glory of Lhe LC8u shall be revealed,and all flesh shall see lL LogeLher lor Lhe mouLh of Lhe LC8u haLh spoken lL. 78 A volce responds by saylng 1ell lL." 79 1hls ldea ls ofLen referred Lo as 1he Colden 8ule."lL ls Laken from whaL !esus sald ln hls Sermon on Lhe MounL recorded ln MaLLhew 7:12:1herefore all Lhlngs whaLsoever ye would LhaL men should do Lo you, do ye even so Lo Lhem: for Lhls ls Lhe law and Lhe propheLs." 80 1he same volce agaln responds by saylng 1ell lL." 81 1hls ls one of Lhe mosL recognlzable ldeas menLloned by klng ln hls address aL Lhe March on WashlngLon on AugusL 28, 1963.ln LhaL conLexL he spoke words more slmllar Lo Lhe ones he used ln ueLrolL on !une 23, 1963.uurlng hls famous l Pave a uream" speech ln WashlngLon u.C., klng sald: l have a dream LhaL my four llLLle chlldren wlll one day llve ln a naLlon where Lhey wlll noL be [udged by Lhe color of Lhelr skln buL by Lhe conLenL of Lhelr characLer." 82 1he ldea of freedom LhaL klng declares here ls furLher ampllfled by Lhe flnal words of Lhe speech when he reclLes lyrlcs Lo Lhe song lree aL LasL." 83 1hough no press coverage from Lhls evenL even menLloned Lhe facL LhaL klng spoke abouL a dream," Lhls momenL marks whaL ls clearly Lhe loudesL ovaLlon of Lhe enLlre address. 26 Cf Lhee l slng.Land where my faLhers dled,Land of Lhe pllgrlms' prlde,May84 every mounLaln slde,LeL freedom rlng."83 1haL musL become Lrue all over Amerlca lf Lhls ls Lo be a greaL naLlon.?es,LeL lL rlng from Lhe prodlglous hlllLops of new Pampshlre,LeL lL rlng from Lhe mlghLy mounLalns of new ?ork,LeL lL rlng from Lhe helghLenlng Alleghenles of ennsylvanla,LeL lL rlng from Lhe snowcapped 8ockles of Colorado,LeL lL rlng from Lhe curvaceous slopes of Callfornla.8uL noL only LhaL, from every mounLaln slde leL freedom rlng.86 84 klng's subLle shlfL from Lhe song's word lrom" Lo hls word May" could suggesL LhaL he ls dreamlng of a Llme when Lhe earLh lLself wlll slng of Lhe new world as opposed Lo merely hearlng men and women slnglng as Lhey sLand on Lhese mounLaln ranges. lf so, Lhen he ls conLlnulng Lo envlslon a new world where Lhe earLh and all lLs places are radlcally changed. 83 8ased on Lhe llsL of sLaLe names and mounLaln ranges LhaL follows, klng clearly Look Lhls consLrucL of uslng Lhe song Amerlca" (also known as My CounLy, '1ls of 1hee") from Archlbald Carey's 1932 address before Lhe 8epubllcan naLlonal ConvenLlon.AfLer reclLlng Lhls openlng sLanza of Lhls song, Carey ended hls speech wlLh: 1haL's exacLly whaL we mean-from every mounLaln slde, leL freedom rlng.noL only from Lhe Creen MounLalns and Lhe WhlLe MounLalns of vermonL and new Pampshlre, noL only from Lhe CaLskllls of new ?ork, buL from Lhe Czarks ln Arkansas, from Lhe SLone MounLaln ln Ceorgla, from Lhe CreaL Smokles of 1ennessee, and from Lhe 8lue 8ldge MounLalns of vlrglnla." 27 So leL lL rlng from SLone MounLaln ln Ceorgla,LeL lL rlng from LookouL MounLaln ln 1ennessee. LeL lL rlng from every hlll and molehlll of Mlsslsslppl. LeL lL rlng from every mounLaln of norLh Carollna,87

lrom every mounLaln slde, leL freedom rlng. And when Lhls happens all of Cod's chlldren, black men and whlLe men, !ews and genLlles, proLesLanLs and CaLhollcs, wlll be able Lo [oln hands and slng ln Lhe words of Lhe old negro splrlLual88 . . . free aL lasL, free aL lasL, Lhank Cod almlghLy we are free aL lasL!"89

86 A loud and prolonged cackllng laugh beglns here.lL ls uncerLaln, buL llkely, LhaL Lhls ls from Lhe same man who laughed earller when klng flsL sald noL long." 87 klng would ofLen lnserL Lhe sLaLe ln whlch he was speaklng ln Lhls llne.Pere, ln Lhls llsL of mounLaln ranges, Lhe earller verbal shlfL ln Lhe speech from 8ocky MounL Lo 8ocky MounLaln" ls glven an even greaLer resonance.88 1hough ofLen overlooked, Lhese words ln quoLaLlon marks acLually appear ln many verslons of Lhe negro splrlLual lree aL LasL": We wlll be able Lo [oln hands and / Slng ln Lhe words of Lhe old negro splrlLual." 89 1hese are Lhe lasL words Lo Lhe negro splrlLual lree aL LasL."