Microsoft Word - The Most Dangerous Game

IHAVEADREAM

MartinLutherKing,Jr.



Iamhappytojoinwithyoutodayinwhatwillgodow n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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.



Butonehundredyearslater,theNegrostillisnotfree.One

hundredyearslater,thelifeoftheNegroisstillsadly

crippledbythemanaclesofsegregationandthechainsofdiscrimination.Onehundredyearslater,theNegrolivesona

lonelyislandofpovertyinthemidst ofavastoceanofmaterialprosperity.Onehundredyearslater,the

Negroisstill

languishedinthecornersofAmericansocietyandfindshimselfanexileinhisownland.Andsowe'vecomeheretoday

todramatizeashamefulcondition.



Inasensewe'vecometoournation'scapitaltocashacheck.Whenthearchitectsofourrepublicwrotethe

magnificent

wordsoftheConstitutionandtheDeclarationofIndependence,theyweresigningapromissorynotetowhichevery

Americanwastofallheir.Thisnotewasapromisethatallmen, yes,blackmenaswellaswhitemen,wouldbe

guaranteedthe"unalienableRights"of"Life,Libertyand

thepursuitofHappiness."ItisobvioustodaythatAmericahas

defaultedonthispromissorynote,insofarashercitizensofcolorareconcerned.Insteadofhonoringthissacred

obligation,AmericahasgiventheNegropeopleabadcheck,acheckwhichhascomebackmarked"insufficientfunds."



Butwe

refusetobelievethatthebankofjusticeis bankrupt.Werefusetobelievethatthereareinsufficientfundsinthe

greatvaultsofopportunityofthisnatio n.Andso,we'vecometocashthischeck,acheckthatwillgiveusupondemand

therichesoffreedomandthesecurity

ofjustice.



WehavealsocometothishallowedspottoremindAmericaofthefierceurgencyofNow.Thisisnotimetoengagein

theluxuryofcoolingoffortotakethetranquilizingdrugofgradualism.Nowisthetimetomakerealthepromisesof

democracy.

Nowisthetimetorisefromthedarkanddesolatevalleyofsegregationtothesunlitpathofracialjustice.

Nowisthetimetoliftournationfromthequicksandsofracialinjusticetothesolidrockofbrotherhood.Nowisthetime

tomakejusticeareality

forallofGod'schildren.



Itwouldbefatalforthenationtooverlooktheurgencyofthemoment.ThisswelteringsummeroftheNegro's

legitimatedisconten twillnotpassuntilthereisaninvigorating autumnoffreedomandequality.Nineteensixty‐threeis

notanend,butabeginning.

AndthosewhohopethattheNegroneededtoblowoffsteamandwillnowbecontentwill

havearudeawakeningifthenationreturnstobusinessasusual.AndtherewillbeneitherrestnortranquilityinAmerica

untiltheNegroisgrantedhiscitizenshiprights.Thewhirlwindsof

revoltwillcontinuetoshakethefoundationsofour

nationuntilthebrightdayofjusticeemerges.



ButthereissomethingthatImustsaytomypeople,whostandonthewarmthresholdwhichleadsintothepalaceof

justice: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.



ThemarvelousnewmilitancywhichhasengulfedtheNegrocommunitymustnotleadustoadistrustofallwhite 

people,formanyofourwhitebrothers,asevidencedbytheirpresence

heretoday,havecometorealizethattheir

destinyistiedupwithourdestiny.Andtheyhavecometorealizethattheirfreedomisinextricablyboundtoour

freedom.



Wecannotwalkalone.



Andaswewalk,wemustmakethepledgethatweshallalwaysmarchahead.



Wecannotturnback.



Therearethosewhoareaskingthedevoteesofcivilrights,"Whenwillyoubesatisfied?"Wecanneverbesatisfiedas

longastheNegroisthevictimofthe

unspeakablehorrorsofpolicebrutality.Wecanneverbesatisfiedaslongasour

bodies,heavywiththefatigueoftravel,cannotgainlodginginthemotelsofthehighwaysandthehotelsofthecities.

Wecannotbesatisfiedaslongasthenegro'sbasicmobilityisfromasmaller

ghettotoalargerone. We canneverbe

satisfiedaslongasourchildrenarestrippedoftheirself‐hoodandrobbedoftheirdignitybysignsstating:"ForWhites

Only."WecannotbesatisfiedaslongasaNegroinMississippicannotvoteandaNegroinNew

Yorkbelieveshehas

nothingforwhichtovote.No,no,wearenotsatisfied,andwewillnotbesatisfieduntil"justicerollsdownlikewaters,

andrighteousnesslikeamightystream."¹



Iamnotunmindfulthatsomeofyouhavecomehereoutofgreattrialsandtribulations.

Someofyouhavecomefresh

fromnarrowjailcells.Andsomeofyouhavecomefromareaswhereyourquest‐‐questforfreedomleftyoubattered

bythestormsofpersecutionandstaggeredbythewindsofpolicebrutality.Youhavebeentheveteransofcreative

suffering.Continuetowork

withthefaiththatunearnedsufferingisredemptive.GobacktoMississippi,gobackto

Alabama,gobacktoSouthCarolina,gobacktoGeorgia,gobacktoLouisiana,gobacktotheslumsandghettosofour

northerncities,knowingthatsomehowthissituationcanandwillbechanged.



Letusnotwallowinthevalleyofdespair,Isaytoyoutoday,myfriends.



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."2 



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.



Andthiswillbetheday‐‐thiswillbethedaywhenallofGod'schildrenwillbeabletosingwith

newmeaning:



Mycountry'tisofthee,sweetlandofliberty,oftheeIsing.



Landwheremyfathersdied,landofthePilgrim'spride,



Fromeverymountainside,letfreedomring!



AndifAmericaistobeagreatnation,thismustbecometrue.



Andsoletfreedomringfrom

theprodigioushilltopsofNewHampshire.



LetfreedomringfromthemightymountainsofNewYork.



LetfreedomringfromtheheighteningAllegheniesofPennsylvania.



Letfreedomringfromthesnow‐cappedRockiesofColorado.



LetfreedomringfromthecurvaceousslopesofCalifornia.



Butnotonlythat:



Let

freedomringfromStoneMountainofGeorgia.



LetfreedomringfromLookoutMountainofTenness ee.



LetfreedomringfromeveryhillandmolehillofMississippi.



Fromeverymountainside,letfreedomring.



Andwhenthishappens,whenweallowfreedomring,whenweletitringfromeveryvillageandevery

hamlet,from

everystateandeverycity,wewillbeabletospeedupthat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inthewordsoftheoldNegrospiritual:



Free

atlast!Freeatlast!



ThankGodAlmighty,wearefreeatlast!3