I Have a Dream Speech
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his landmark speech at the March on Washington
August 28, 1963
The March on Washington
On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom — the largest political demonstration the United States had seen up to that point. The march was organized by a coalition of civil rights organizations and labor unions, and it drew people of all races from across the country. They came to demand racial equality, an end to discrimination in employment, and federal civil rights legislation. The day was peaceful, joyful, and electric with a sense of historical importance. It culminated at the Lincoln Memorial with a series of speeches by civil rights leaders.
The Speech That Changed America
The last speaker of the day was the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., the 34-year-old leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He began with his prepared remarks, but near the end, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out from behind him, "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" King set aside his notes and began to speak from the heart. The "I Have a Dream" speech that followed painted a vision of an America where children would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. It is widely considered the greatest speech in American history, a masterpiece of moral argument and soaring rhetoric.
A Dream Still Being Realized
The March on Washington helped build the political pressure that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King's dream has been partially realized in the decades since — legal segregation ended, and Barack Obama became the first Black president in 2008. But the dream of full racial equality in education, economic opportunity, and justice remains unfinished. King's words are quoted at graduation ceremonies, political rallies, and protests around the world. His speech endures because it spoke not just to the injustices of 1963, but to universal human longings for dignity and fairness.