Can you name a Martin Luther King Jr. speech without citing, “I Had a Dream”? I thought so. Did you know that he wrote 5 books, and delivered more than 400 speeches a year? Though, he is widely known and defined by one speech. “I Had a Dream” is extraordinary, powerful, it’s known as a defining moment in the American Civil Rights Movement… and is just one of many that will give you goosebumps.
Here are my 2 favorite speeches that I feel you should familiarize yourself with. Enjoy.
“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” (click here to read)
Speech delivered on April 3, 1968, in Memphis Tennessee, he was assassinated the next day.
“Well, I don’t know what will happen now; we’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter to with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life–longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
Listen to the speech here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDl84vusXos
‘Our God is Marching On!’ (click here to read)
Speech delivered on March 25, 1965, in Montgomery, Alabama, at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery march.
“I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because ‘truth crushed to earth will rise again.’ How long? Not long, because ‘no lie can live forever.’ … How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Clip:
