Today, August 28th, 2010, marks the 47th anniversary of the historic “I Have a Dream” speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln memorial in Washington, DC. by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The speech, which has been logged into the history books as quite possibly the greatest speech of modern times, was full of hope, determination and purpose and contained a message of racial equality, unity, democracy and unity for the nation.
It marked the climax of the March on Washington, in which a quarter million people from all over the country – of all races – peacefully demanded Civil Rights for all Americans. Immediately following the speech, the top ten speakers of the event met with President John F. Kennedy to press for a more aggressive civil rights bill and discussed strategies to garner political support.
August 28, 1963 was a great day for all Americans. The March and the speech helped pave the way for the passage of two pieces of legislation – the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – both of which dramatically improved the social and political landscape for African Americans and provided civil rights proponents legal recourse to fight institutionalized racism.
Below is the transcript and video of the entire speech.
