Full text to the "I Have A Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to …

I'm delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world.

Lincoln uses this line, taken from the Declaration of Independence, to evoke the founding principles of the country, namely equality and freedom. Given the context of Lincoln’s speech, this is also a clear reference to the Union’s desire to eradicate slavery.

Read the full transcript of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech, delivered at the March on Washington, on Aug. 28, 1963—and watch the HD video.

Jan 20, 2025 · Full text and video of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech," and a brief history of the origins and battles of the Martin Luther King federal holiday.

Speech Transcript I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. [applause] Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

This is an audio recording of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. giving the "I Have a Dream" speech during the Civil Rights rally on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. . . .

President Biden gave his last Oval Office speech as he prepares to hand over power to President-elect Donald Trump and exit politics after a decades-long career. ...more.