And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked 'insufficient funds.'īut we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. speaking to thousands during his 'I Have a Dream' speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in 1963.

National Park Service-National Historic Site.

Other Resources on Martin Luther King, Jr.

Teaching With Documents: Court Documents Related to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Memphis Sanitation Workers.

Records on African Americans at the National Archives.

Searching for Martin Luther King, Jr., in the records of the National Archives.

The March (from the National Archives YouTube Channel).

Official Program for the March on Washington.

compare and contrast the two 'I have a dream.' speeches? What are the major similarities and differences?Īdditional Resources from the National Archives concerning Martin Luther King, Jr. describe his earlier speech on June 23rd in Detroit?

What are the major issues of this case? In other words, what is Martin Luther King, Jr.

What organizations were involved in the the March on Washington? What does this tell us about the event?.

What was the official name for the event on August 28th, 1963? What does this title tell us about its focus?.

Among the papers filed in the case and available at the National Archives at New York City is a deposition given by Martin Luther King, Jr.

King and his attorneys claimed that the speech was copyrighted and the recording violated that copyright. Mister Maestro, Inc., and Twentieth Century Fox Records Company recorded the speech and offered the recording for sale. influenced the Federal government to take more direct actions to more fully realize racial equality. Popularly known as the 'I have a Dream' speech, the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. The culmination of this event was the influential and most memorable speech of Dr.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought together the nations most prominent civil rights leaders, along with tens of thousands of marchers, to press the United States government for equality. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., delivered a speech to a massive group of civil rights marchers gathered around the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC.

I have a dream speech text