"I've Been to the Mountaintop" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK at Mason Temple, April 3, 1968Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered this oral communication in support of the hit sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN on Apr 3, 1968 — the day before he was assassinated. License to reproduce this speech granted by Intellectual Properties Management, 1579-F Monroe Bulldoze, Suite 235, Atlanta, Georgia 30324, as manager for the King Estate. Write to IPM re: copyright permission for employ of words and images of Martin Luther Male monarch, Jr.

Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It'due south always good to have your closest friend and associate say something good most you lot. And Ralph is the all-time friend that I have in the world.

I'thou delighted to come across each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our globe.

Equally you know, if I were standing at the showtime of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole homo history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you similar to live in?" — I would take my mental flight by Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised state. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't terminate there. I would motion on by Greece, and take my mind to Mountain Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled effectually the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality.

Only I wouldn't terminate there. I would go on, fifty-fifty to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around in that location, through diverse emperors and leaders. Merely I wouldn't terminate there. I would even come up to the mean solar day of the Renaissance, and get a quick flick of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. Merely I wouldn't end in that location. I would fifty-fifty go by the style that the man for whom I'chiliad named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg.

Merely I wouldn't stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and sentry a vacillating president past the proper noun of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. Simply I wouldn't stop there. I would even come upward to the early on thirties, and come across a human grappling with the problems of the defalcation of his nation. And come with an eloquent weep that nosotros take nil to fear but fright itself.

But I wouldn't stop at that place. Strangely enough, I would plough to the Almighty, and say, "If you let me to alive just a few years in the second one-half of the twentieth century, I volition be happy." Now that's a strange argument to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the state. Confusion all around. That'due south a strange argument. But I know, somehow, that simply when it is night enough, can yous encounter the stars. And I come across God working in this menstruation of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange style, are responding — something is happening in our world. The masses of people are ascent upward. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Republic of kenya; Accra, Republic of ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is e'er the same — "Nosotros want to exist gratis."

And another reason that I'm happy to alive in this period is that we accept been forced to a signal where we're going to have to grapple with the issues that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn't strength them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, take been talking virtually war and peace. But now, no longer can they only talk about it. It is no longer a selection between violence and nonviolence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.

That is where we are today. And as well in the human being rights revolution, if something isn't done, and in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and fail, the whole world is doomed. Now, I'yard but happy that God has allowed me to alive in this menses, to meet what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He'south allowed me to exist in Memphis.

I tin remember, I can remember when Negroes were simply going around as Ralph has said, then oft, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that twenty-four hours is all over. We mean business at present, and we are determined to gain our rightful identify in God's world.

And that'due south all this whole matter is about. We aren't engaged in whatever negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God'southward children. And that nosotros don't take to alive like nosotros are forced to alive.

Now, what does all of this mean in this great flow of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You lot know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting amidst themselves. But whenever the slaves gather, something happens in Pharaoh'south court, and he cannot concur the slaves in slavery. When the slaves become together, that'southward the get-go of getting out of slavery. Now permit us maintain unity.

Secondly, let us go along the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to continue attention on that. That'due south ever the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, iii hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that.

Now we're going to march once again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where information technology is supposed to be. And strength everybody to see that in that location are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through night and dreary nights wondering how this matter is going to come out. That'southward the consequence. And nosotros've got to say to the nation: nosotros know it'due south coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, at that place is no stopping point short of victory.

We aren't going to let any mace stop usa. Nosotros are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming law forces; they don't know what to do, I've seen them so often. I recall in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle at that place we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church 24-hour interval afterward day; by the hundreds nosotros would motion out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but we only went earlier the dogs singing, "Own't gonna let nobody plow me round." Balderdash Connor next would say, "Plow the burn down hoses on." And as I said to y'all the other night, Balderdash Connor didn't know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn't relate to the transphysics that we knew well-nigh. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of burn down that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or another denomination, we had been immersed. If nosotros were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water.

That couldn't stop united states. And nosotros just went on earlier the dogs and we would look at them; and nosotros'd go on before the water hoses and nosotros would expect at it, and we'd but go on singing "Over my caput I see freedom in the air." And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in in that location like sardines in a can. And they would throw usa in, and old Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would only go in the paddy railroad vehicle singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and and so we'd get in the jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and existence moved past our words and our songs. And there was a power at that place which Balderdash Connor couldn't accommodate to; and then we ended upward transforming Bull into a steer, and nosotros won our struggle in Birmingham.

Now nosotros've got to go on to Memphis just like that. I phone call upon you to be with u.s.a. Monday. Now about injunctions: We take an injunction and we're going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, "Be true to what you lot said on newspaper." If I lived in Red china or fifty-fifty Russia, or any totalitarian land, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic Showtime Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. Simply somewhere I read of the freedom of associates. Somewhere I read of the freedom of oral communication. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the printing. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protestation for right. And so just as I say, we aren't going to let any injunction plow us around. Nosotros are going on.

We need all of yous. And you lot know what's beautiful tome, is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It's a marvelous picture show. Who is it that is supposed to clear the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must exist an Amos, and say, "Let justice whorl downwards like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, considering he hath anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor."

And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years; he's been to jail for struggling; just he's yet going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Rev. Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on downward the list, but time will non let. But I want to thank them all. And I desire you to thank them, because so often, preachers aren't concerned almost anything just themselves. And I'k ever happy to see a relevant ministry.

It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people desire some suits and dresses and shoes to article of clothing downward hither. Information technology's all correct to talk almost "streets flowing with milk and dearest," merely God has commanded u.s. to be concerned nearly the slums downwardly hither, and his children who can't consume three square meals a twenty-four hours. It'south all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, just one 24-hour interval, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to practise.

Now the other matter nosotros'll have to do is this: Always anchor our external straight action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, nosotros are poor people, individually, we are poor when yous compare u.s.a. with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the earth, with the exception of nine. Did you lot e'er recollect about that? Afterwards you go out the U.s.a., Soviet Russian federation, United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, West Germany, France, and I could proper name the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We accept an annual income of more than than xxx billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did yous know that? That's power correct there, if we know how to pool it.

We don't accept to argue with everyone. We don't have to curse and become around acting bad with our words. We don't demand any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to get effectually to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by hither, to say to you that you're not treating his children correct. And we've come past here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. At present, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that nosotros must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from y'all."

And then, as a result of this, we are asking you lot tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Get by and tell them non to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other breadstuff company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart'south staff of life. As Jesse Jackson has said, upward to now, only the garbage men take been feeling pain; at present we must kind of redistribute the pain. Nosotros are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.

But not only that, we've got to strengthen black institutions. I phone call upon you to accept your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-Land Depository financial institution—we want a "bank-in" movement in Memphis. Then become by the savings and loan association. I'm not asking you something we don't practice ourselves at SCLC. Guess Hooks and others will tell you lot that we have an account here in the savings and loan clan from the Southern Christian Leadership Briefing. We're just telling yous to follow what we're doing. Put your money there. You accept six or seven black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We desire to have an "insurance-in."

Now these are some practical things we can practise. We begin the procedure of edifice a greater economic base. And at the aforementioned fourth dimension, we are putting pressure where it actually hurts. I inquire you to follow through here.

Now, let me say as I motion to my determination that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the stop. Null would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. Nosotros've got to meet information technology through. And when we take our march, you need to exist there. Be concerned near your blood brother. You may not exist on strike. Simply either we go upwards together, or we become downward together.

Let the states develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. Ane solar day a homo came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to flim-flam Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base of operations. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological argue. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous bend betwixt Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain human, who cruel amongst thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed past on the other side. They didn't cease to assistance him. And finally a man of some other race came by. He got down from his animal, decided not to be empathetic by proxy. But with him, administering first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up maxim, this was the good man, this was the great man, considering he had the chapters to project the "I" into the "thou," and to exist concerned about his brother. Now you know, we use our imagination a great bargain to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times nosotros say they were decorated going to church meetings—an ecclesiastical gathering—and they had to get on downwardly to Jerusalem so they wouldn't exist late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious police that "I who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a homo torso twenty-four hours before the ceremony." And every now and and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were non going downward to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged downwardly with an individual endeavor.

But I'm going to tell you lot what my imagination tells me. Information technology's possible that these men were afraid. Yous see, the Jericho route is a dangerous road. I recall when Mrs. Male monarch and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem downward to Jericho. And as shortly as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I tin meet why Jesus used this equally a setting for his parable." Information technology'due south a winding, meandering road. It'south really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 anxiety to a higher place body of water level. And by the time you get downward to Jericho, xv or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below body of water level. That's a dangerous route. In the days of Jesus it came to exist known as the "Encarmine Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that human on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it'due south possible that they felt that the man on the ground was only faking. And he was acting similar he had been robbed and injure, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the beginning question that the Levite asked was, "If I finish to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not cease to assistance this man, what will happen to him?"

That's the question before yous tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I unremarkably spend in my office every day and every calendar week as a pastor?" The question is non, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" "If I do not end to assistance the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.

Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand up with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. Nosotros have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, again, for allowing me to be hither with you.

Yous know, several years agone, I was in New York City autographing the get-go volume that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented blackness woman came up. The but question I heard from her was, "Are yous Martin Luther Male monarch?"

And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next infinitesimal I felt something chirapsia on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented adult female. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. Information technology was a nighttime Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the bract was on the edge of my aorta, the primary artery. And in one case that'south punctured, you drown in your own blood—that'due south the end of you.

It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would accept died. Well, most four days afterwards, they immune me, after the operation, afterwards my breast had been opened, and the bract had been taken out, to move around in the cycle chair in the hospital. They immune me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over u.s., and the earth, kind messages came in. I read a few, but i of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what the letter said. But in that location was another letter that came from a little daughter, a immature girl who was a student at the White Plains Loftier Schoolhouse. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. Information technology said simply, "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should non thing, I would like to mention that I am a white daughter. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would accept died. And I'm simply writing yous to say that I'thou then happy that you didn't sneeze."

And I desire to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at dejeuner counters. And I knew that equally they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those not bad wells of republic which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Announcement of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been effectually in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't take been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, angry the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Neb. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a hazard later that yr, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the customs rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'grand so happy that I didn't sneeze.

And they were telling me, at present information technology doesn't matter now. It actually doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, in that location were half dozen of us, the pilot said over the public accost system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to exist sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be incorrect with the plane, we had to cheque out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all dark."

So I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk almost the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some hard days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me at present. Considering I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't listen. Similar anybody, I would similar to live a long life. Longevity has its identify. Just I'm not concerned about that now. I simply 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 at that place with yous. Simply I want you to know tonight, that we, equally a people, will go to the promised country. And I'm happy, tonight. I'chiliad not worried near annihilation. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.