I Have A Dream Speech

“One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land.”

King makes several references to what was promised Black Americans and what was delivered. In this line, he again references Lincoln and, specifically, the Emancipation Proclamation which eliminated the institution of slavery in Confederate states during the Civil War. The elimination of slavery was eventually law throughout the United States (with the 13th Amendment), but King notes Black Americans, 100 years later, still lack full equality, leaving them exiled and stranded in the confines of their own nation. The idea of exile has biblical connotations as well, with implicit references to Adam and Eve being exiled from the Garden of Eden just as Black Americans are exiled from the paradise of freedom in America. 

“Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’”

King uses the check metaphor to show what Black Americans have been promised and what they have been given. America wrote “a check” that promised all men in America would be equal, but did not follow through with this promise to Black people. Instead, Black people have been given a second-class status and denied equality. The check metaphor connects several of King’s themes, drawing together his views on the social and economic conditions of Black Americans, as a check is both a symbol of a promise and something that can be redeemed for money—neither of which are enjoyed by Black Americans.

“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.”

King’s speech demands relentless urgency. Building on the social protests of the summer of 1963, King claims the pressure for change continues and Americans cannot again force slow progress. With his reminders that “five score years” have passed since emancipation, King underscores that gradualism has not worked nor will it work.

“This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”

King reminds the listeners in the crowd (and, by extension, anyone listening) that the protests of the summer of 1963 are not unwarranted. He draws attention to the police brutality that met those protests while reminding the audience who is responsible for the violence—not the legitimate protesters but the forces of oppression who denounce it. Additionally, he states the protests will be worth it so long as they persist and lead to freedom. Finally, this statement uses the metaphor of the seasons to suggest the winds of change are in the air and the heat of the protests will give way to the coolness of his dream for the future. 

“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.”

King was a strong proponent of peaceful resistance and often urged his followers to avoid violence. Here, he again warns them to avoid responding to violence with violence and suggests the power of love and freedom are stronger than the powers of hatred; further, the protesters will be rewarded with justice if they avoid sin. King also uses the religious overtones of sin and guilt along with the metaphor of drinking to underscore his point. 

“We cannot walk alone.”

King tells the Black marchers they must not distrust nor hate all White people, as there are White people marching with them today. He notes there is a collective voice crying for change in America and it includes all races, imploring his audience to continue to work together on the road to progress for the mission for freedom and equality is connected. King reminds the audience not to judge anyone on the color of their skin, regardless of who is doing the judging and who is being judged.

“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’”

King seems to create three separate groups of people in his speech: the rightful protesters, the racists fighting them, and a third group not in favor of segregation but also opposed to the civil rights movement as a whole. Here, King addresses that third group, who ask when enough will be enough. King responds with a list of grievances explaining he cannot be satisfied with the conditions of hatred, brutality, segregation, and economic inequality in America. Using the anonymous speaker of the question is an effective foil for proving how misguided such a sentiment can be, and King uses that foil to again underscore the need for urgency. 

“You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.”

King speaks here to smaller subgroups in the audience, including those who have come from jail cells and have been the victim of police brutality. To them, he states their suffering has not been deserved but highlights again that faith in the cause and the struggle will save them all. By turning to the small group, King addresses the individuals who have sacrificed the most while also reminding the whole crowd of what they are fighting and what they hope to achieve. The idea of redemption is also biblical, and King implies there is a spiritual reward for their pains. 

“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.”

King’s speech is not just a commemoration of a march—it is a call to action. He tells the marchers in the crowd their work is not done and reminds them there is work to be done everywhere. It is noteworthy that King connects the struggles in the North and South as one, even though the laws in the North and South were different, with only the South remaining widely segregated. King’s speech is part of a larger movement for both economic and racial equality, so the missions in the ghettos of the North and the segregated South are one and the same. As with most of the speech, the result is a positive one leading from the “valley of despair” to the mountain of freedom.

“I say to you today, my friends, 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.”

The most famous lines from the speech—coopted as the speech’s unofficial title—concern King’s dream. The first mention of the dream connects it explicitly to the American Dream, the idea that America is a land of opportunity and freedom. To King, this is a dream long denied American Black people, but it is a dream he hopes one day will be shared by all people of all races. This quotation again reminds the audience of what America has promised and not delivered. 

“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.”

Throughout the speech, King calls out specific areas of the nation, but especially the cruelty of Mississippi and Alabama—locations of some of the most violent acts against civil rights protesters. Toward the end of the speech, as he reaches his optimistic climax, he suggests his dream will even transform those places from the hellish hotbeds of hatred to paradises of equality. In doing so, he suggests just how transformative his dream is, as it will not only reach the enlightened parts of the nation but even its most oppressive. 

“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.”

King turns to the personal instead of the general, referring to his dreams for his own children. This line is among the most celebrated in the speech and humanizes his own message, reminding the listener/reader that King is concerned about the future of his own children as well as everyone else’s. Children are also an obvious symbol of the future, and they anchor his dream as a wish to be fulfilled. By definition, racism is to judge someone purely on race, so King’s dream of an America with equality and equal economic opportunity must get rid of such judgments in favor of more personal ones.

“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 Pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring’! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.” 

King makes frequent use of quotations with biblical or historical significance, and here he quotes the patriotic song “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” to highlight the historical condition of Black Americans. King is not against America but instead encourages America to live up to its promise—to make itself into a nation for which it is worth feeling patriotism. He notes that today Americans sing the song, though it is dishonest for America is not a nation where freedom rings for all people. His dream is that it someday can be.