Martin Luther King Jr. was a spiritual man, a leader, a courageous man. And a spellbinding speaker. Here are excerpts from some of his most memorable speeches.
-
1. “I Have Been to the Mountaintop,” April 3, 1968
In Memphis to support sanitation workers striking over low pay and terrible conditions, King spoke at the Mason Temple, a Pentecostal church in the city. What was to become his final speech — the day before he was murdered — eerily foreshadowed his death.
“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life,” King said. “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!”
-
2. “I Have a Dream,” Aug, 28, 1963
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom culminated in King’s stirring and unforgettable speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before more than a quarter of a million people on the Washington Mall. In it, he laid out his vision for America.
-
3. Vietnam speech, April 4, 1967
In a startling sermon at New York’s Riverside Church, King challenged President Johnson, explaining that civil rights and peace do mix — and that calling for an end to an “unjust, evil and futile” Vietnam War would not harm the cause.
-
4. Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, Dec. 10, 1964
King accepted the honor not for personal enrichment but as a trustee in “recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time.”