Posted by
Libertybob on Sunday, January 28, 2007 10:32:49 PM
Recently the Smithsonian (that big researchy science place
that deals with history and archaeology and stuff…) obtained the original hand-written
notes of the “I Have a Dream” oration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This
donation from an anonymous source has been heralded as one of the greatest
additions to our country's heritage, and will be placed in display next to the
constitution, declaration of independence and other great speeches such as
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Perhaps most stunning was that the speech given by Dr. King
was NOT the one originally intended. Indeed, it seems as though his original
message was deemed too controversial at the time, even for him. Rather than
anger and distance himself from his opponents that August day, Dr. King “watered
down” his speech to further the cause without losing all the ground he and his
supporters had gained.
While many of the differences are merely grammatical, or may
be attributed to skill at oration in communicating the same idea rather than
verbatim, some striking differences are apparent.
Since we conservatives still tend to harbor our racism along
with our other moral inadequacies, I wished to share some of the
differences in the Original Notes, as they are now being called, so that we may
come to a greater understanding of the racial diversity in our society.
Some of the more meaningful passages are below:
“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 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. No
longer are the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
enough! Indeed, we demand reparation of the damage that has been done.”
“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.’ And if financial or intellectual
equality is not present, then those whose status is more equal than others
should demand that these wrongs be righted, even if it be at the expense of their
own freedoms.”
“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. But if the racism against the negro is ever
to be undone, if the injustices which held us back for so long have damaged us
to the point of no repair, and if the bonds of brotherhood are to be had in
this great nation, then allowing my children to gain access to certain schools
or jobs because of the color of their skin at the expense of their character,
then I say: let it be!”
“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, and to go to jail together. And until we go to jail together,
until that glorious day when cells can be filled equally with black and white,
then we should not hold the negro responsible for crime he commits. No, when more of our brothers are jailed it is the racism
that lingers in this nation like a parasite to a host, and must be recognized for
the unfair laws that are passed, and the inability of individuals to keep those laws when oppression
is our legacy. Knowing that, we will be
free one day.”
I was touched by the power of these words. May we all live
to repair the wrongs that have been caused by careful and continued keeping records of skin color so
that we may always measure how far we have truly come, and how far we have yet
to go.