How Martin Luther King’s ‘Dream’ speech almost didn’t happen
History Illustrated is a weekly series of insightful perspectives that puts news events and current affairs into historical context using graphics generated with artificial intelligence.
Martin Luther King Jr. is famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech, but less well-known is that the speech almost didn’t happen.
On August 28, 1963, the Baptist preacher and civil rights leader stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking out on a sea of humanity.
People were there because they had had enough: Enough of racism, enough of poverty, enough of violence. And they needed it to stop.
President Kennedy wasn’t sure about the protest. He said it was “ill-timed”, and could make it more difficult to pass the Civil Rights Act.
But King and the other civil rights leaders disagreed. The march would take place, they said, whether the president liked it or not.
On the day, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson performed, before taking her seat within earshot of the podium.
King began to read from a prepared text but then Jackson, who had previously heard the reverend speak about his “dream”, shouted at King.
King paused, set his written remarks aside and spontaneously launched into what would make his speech one of the great speeches of all time.
King closed his address by saying that once Black people achieve freedom …
