‘I Have a Dream’
By the Rev.
Martin Luther King
August 28,
1963
I am happy
to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest
demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score
years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed
the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon
light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of
withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of
their captivity.
But one
hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the
life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and
the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a
lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.
One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of
American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come
here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense
we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our
republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was
to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as
white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of
"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today
that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of
color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has
given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked
"insufficient funds."
But we
refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe
that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this
nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon
demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
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. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now
is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the
sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the
quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the
time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be
fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering
summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an
invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an
end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off
steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns
to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America
until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt
will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of
justice emerges.
But there is
something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads
into the palace of justice: 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. We must forever
conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not
allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and
again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul
force.
The
marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us
to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced
by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied
up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is
inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot
walk alone.
And as we
walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot
turn back.
There are
those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"
We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable
horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies,
heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the
highways and the hotels of the cities.
We cannot be
satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York
believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we
will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and
righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
I am not
unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.
Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come
from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of
persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the
veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned
suffering is redemptive. 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, I say to you today, my friends.
And 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.
I have a
dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of
its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal."
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.
I have a
dream today!
I have a
dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its
governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition"
and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black
boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and
white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a
dream today!
I have a
dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain
shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places
will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and
all flesh shall see it together."2
This is our
hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this
faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our
nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be
able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail
together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one
day.
And this
will be the day -- 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 Pilgrim's pride,
From every
mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if
America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let
freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom
ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom
ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom
ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom
ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only
that:
Let freedom
ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom
ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom
ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every
mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when
this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every
village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to
speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and
Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the
words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at
last! Free at last!
Thank God
Almighty, we are free at last!
Education for now
Honorable,
the principle of SMP / SMA ,Unforgetable,
all teachers and my friends in this best school Standing over here, I would like to give my greatest
thanks to god the Almighty, Who has been giving me and you all His Mercies and
Blessings without stopping days to days, hours to hours, even seconds to
seconds. Without those all, we will never be here to listen my short but
important speech.
In this good occasion, I would like to give a short speech about the improvement of education. Improving education is a very significant step in making that the students grow into mature. In this modern time, everything is possible to do; as well as education is very possible to improve. Without improvement, education is an old-fashioned style that will not be worn. Because of this reason, education should be improved as well as the time goes on.
To make it succeeded, there are at least two ideas in improving education.
1) Keeping The updated technology.
2) Applying
life skills.
The first
idea, it is very important to keep technology updated in school. When all
facilities of the school make use of the updated technology, whatever we need
is very easy to do. For instance, in order to learn English more effectively, a
language laboratory had better use the most recent technology as the use of
digital board in learning new vocabulary; this can be very effective and
efficient in learning how to spell, how to pronounce, and how to use the
vocabulary by giving presentation in the digital board.
Furthermore, in practicing speaking, the internet connection should be always available in the laboratory. By this internet connection, the students can practice their speaking with foreign people. The easiest way is making a call via Skype. Just be friend with the foreign people and all of us will believe that making a free call via Skype is a powerful activity in improving the students' speaking ability.
Do not worry of these improvement, the most important thing is when the updated technology is controlled by the school, the bright future of education will be easily attained.
Furthermore, in practicing speaking, the internet connection should be always available in the laboratory. By this internet connection, the students can practice their speaking with foreign people. The easiest way is making a call via Skype. Just be friend with the foreign people and all of us will believe that making a free call via Skype is a powerful activity in improving the students' speaking ability.
Do not worry of these improvement, the most important thing is when the updated technology is controlled by the school, the bright future of education will be easily attained.
The second
idea is applying life skills. Life skills are behaviors used appropriately and
responsibly in the management of personal affairs. They are a set of human
skills acquired via teaching or direct experience that are used to handle
problems and questions commonly encountered in daily human life. The subject
varies greatly depending on societal norms and community expectations.
There are some reasons why each school should apply life skills to the students. One of the reasons is that every student must have his/her own life skill to be a good behavior persons. When his/her life skill is supported by the school, it will encourage him/her to do better for his/her other skills. It should be noted that the encouragement of the students can improve their education. Some observations and researches have shown it.
There are some reasons why each school should apply life skills to the students. One of the reasons is that every student must have his/her own life skill to be a good behavior persons. When his/her life skill is supported by the school, it will encourage him/her to do better for his/her other skills. It should be noted that the encouragement of the students can improve their education. Some observations and researches have shown it.
Although
there are actually more ideas in improving education, the both ideas will be
enough when those are applied well. Whatever the curriculum are, when the
school is able to adapt them with the both ideas, i do believe that education
will be better than before.
Finally, I myself and all of us as the students, just do hope that it will be available in all schools so that the bright future of education will shine better and better.
Thanks for all of your participation just to listen to my short speech about how to improve education. The last words I say Thank you very much
Finally, I myself and all of us as the students, just do hope that it will be available in all schools so that the bright future of education will shine better and better.
Thanks for all of your participation just to listen to my short speech about how to improve education. The last words I say Thank you very much
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