NARRATOR (VOICEOVER):
On a hot day
in August, 1963, Dr.
Martin Luther King
Jr. Delivered a
speech that would
define the Civil
Rights Movement
and his legacy.
This, of course, was
his "I Have a Dream"
speech, delivered
on the steps
of the Lincoln
Memorial
during the March on
Washington for Jobs
and Freedom.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR. (VOICEOVER):
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.
[APPLAUSE]
NARRATOR (VOICEOVER):
The March
on Washington served
as a massive push
for economic and
political justice
for
African-Americans.
Held during the
years celebrating
the 100th anniversary
of the Emancipation
Proclamation,
crowds marched
on the National
Mall to watch
a variety of
musical performances
and speeches.
 [SINGING]
NARRATOR (VOICEOVER):
Dr. King, a Baptist
preacher and
prominent civil
rights leader was
scheduled to speak
towards the
end of the day,
his debut on the
national stage.
Up until that
point, King mostly
addressed
small crowds
at black
churches, rallies,
or fundraisers.
This time, he
would be seen
by nearly 250,000
people on the ground
as well as millions
at home watching
on television.
This was an
opportunity
to reach a
wide audience
and persuade
the public
and the
government to take
action against
racial injustice.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The night
before, King
worked with a close
group of advisors
to get the speech
just right.
They worked
through the night,
settling on
a final draft
in the pre-dawn
hours of August 28th.
Interestingly,
the phrase,
"I have a dream,"
a phrase he used
in earlier speeches,
was nowhere to be
found in this copy.
The words
wouldn't manifest
until almost halfway
into Dr. King's
speech, when gospel
singer Mahalia
Jackson, who had
performed earlier
in the day,
called out to him
from the sidelines
to "tell them
about the dream."
King set his prepared
remarks aside
and improvised
the rest,
crafting a soaring
speech that
was seared into the
minds of millions
of Americans.
MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR. (VOICEOVER):
No, we are
not satisfied.
And we will not
be satisfied
until justice
rolls down
like waters and
righteousness
like a mighty stream.
[APPLAUSE]
NARRATOR (VOICEOVER):
The speech
was divided
into two parts.
The first listed
the injustices
that
African-Americans
faced--
segregation,
police brutality,
disenfranchisement,
and discrimination--
and urged a call to
nonviolent action.
The second launched
into King's dream
of peace and racial
harmony, a vision
of a future in which
people will not be
judged by the color
of their skin,
but by the content
of their character.
MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR. (VOICEOVER):
I have a dream.
NARRATOR (VOICEOVER):
Highlighting King's
skills as a preacher,
"I Have a Dream" was
part sermon and
part poetry,
using rhetorical
devices
like repetition,
rhyme,
and vivid
metaphor to drive
his points home.
It was peppered with
historic, biblical,
and literary
references that
moved the crowd.
This message of
struggle and hope
became the defining
moment not only of
King's career,
but also
the Civil
Rights Movement.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Both the speech
and the March
on Washington
were credited
with helping
secure the passage
of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964,
a landmark piece
of legislation that
ended segregation
and banned
discrimination on the
basis of race or sex
in the workplace.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR.: Free at last--
CROWD MEMBER: Yes!
- --free at last.
Thank God almighty,
we are free at last.
[APPLAUSE]
NARRATOR (VOICEOVER):
The speech
also resonated
with activists
around the globe.
"I have a dream," the
phrase that wasn't
even meant to be
in its final draft,
appeared in
political actions
all around the world.
It's considered one
of the world's most
transformative
and influential
speeches, alongside
others like Abraham
Lincoln's
"Gettysburg Address"
and Winston
Churchill's
"Blood, Toil,
Tears and Sweat."
"I Have a Dream"
is only one
of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.'s
many achievements.
But it's
nonetheless one
of the most pivotal.
 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]
