Jan. 20 – Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Professor William T. McGrath authored article
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. 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. 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.”
These words were spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. on Aug. 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. They were spoken to a crowd estimated to be 200,000 and were broadcast live on television and radio to millions. It is edifying to hear again his stirring eloquence, with its poetic phrasing and rhythm, and its historical, biblical, constitutional and Shakespearian allusions, exhorting an end to discrimination and segregation. You can hear an audio recording of King’s entire 17-minute “I Have a Dream” speech at archive.org/details/MLKDream. You can also find the full text of the speech on the Internet, but chances are, if you are searching for a video of the entire speech on the Internet, you may find a notice such as this one from history.com: “We are unable to offer the full ‘I Have a Dream ’ speech, the rights to which are controlled by the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr.”
Read more: Copyright Battle Often Exists Over Historic Speeches
