Happy New Year side doorables! When I was growing up, my family would listen to Dr. King's,

I have a dream speech every year when it came on the radio on MLK Day. It's an iconic speech

for a reason. And last year, I actually got to see the copy Dr. King read from when it was on

display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. So in honor

of this upcoming MLK Day, I thought I'd queue up our episode about how Dr. King crafted that speech

from the first inklings of an idea to one of the most memorable moments in American history.

I hope you'll enjoy it.

This is Side Door, a podcast from the Smithsonian with support from PRX. I'm Lizzie Peabody.

Just 100 years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves.

200,000 people converge on the nation's capital to rally for civil rights.

On August 28th, 1963, crowds of people poured onto the National Mall from every direction,

for the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. This black and white news reel shows people

dressed in crisp button-up shirts and ties, women wearing long floral dresses. It almost looks

like they're going to church, a sea of people singing and carrying signs.

It's the height of the civil rights movement, and this is the largest demonstration yet. In fact,

it's the largest demonstration in Washington's history at this point. From the steps of the Lincoln

Memorial, activists, musicians, and civil rights leaders speak to the crowd. The crowd assembled

around the reflecting pool before the Lincoln Memorial occupies every inch on the longs and under

the trees, and there's a great swell of cheers to welcome Martin Luther King, the speaker's podium,

man who stands as a symbol of all they are fighting for. The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King

Jr. is the final speaker of the day, and when he steps up to the podium, he creates one of the most

memorable moments in American history. I have a dream that one day,

...