King's `I Have A Dream' Is Greatest Political Speech Of The Century

Jet, Jan 17, 2000

The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s soul-stirring "I Have A Dream" speech tops the list of the greatest American political speeches of the century.

According to 137 academics surveyed by two researchers and reported in USA Today, Rev. King's speech and those of Barbara Jordan and Malcolm X were among the top 10.

King's moving address was made to the thousands who participated in the 1963 March on Washington on the Mall in the nation's capital.

The late Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman from a Southern state since Reconstruction to serve in the U.S. Congress, delivered the No. 5 speech of the century with her empowering keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in 1976. It marked the first time that a Black was selected to deliver the keynote speech at a national convention of the Democratic Party.

Slain Muslim leader Malcolm X's famous 1964 speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet," delivered in Cleveland at Cory Methodist Church was ranked No. 7.

The panel submitted and voted on speeches on the criteria of impact, rhetorical artistry, organization, style and presentation of arguments.

In making the final selection, Stephen Lucas, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of communication arts, along with Martin Medhurst, a speech communication professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, spent three months analyzing ratings of 500 speeches the academics submitted.

Top 10 Political Speeches Of The 20th Century

1. I Have a Dream--Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.--Aug. 28, 1963; Washington, D.C.

2. Inaugural Address-President John F. Kennedy--Jan. 20, 1961; Washington, D.C.

3. First Inaugural Address--President Franklin D. Roosevelt--March 4, 1933; Washington, D.C.

4. War Message (A Date Which Will Live in Infamy)--President Franklin D. Roosevelt--Dec. 8, 1941; Washington, D.C.

5. Keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention--Rep. Barbara Jordan--July 12, 1976; New York City.

6. My Side of the Story (Checkers)--Sen. Richard M. Nixon--Sept. 23, 1952; Los Angeles.

7. The Ballot or The Bullet--Malcolm X--April 3, 1964; Cleveland.

8. Address to the nation after the Challenger disaster--President Ronald Reagan--Jan. 28, 1986; Washington, D.C.

9. Speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Assn.--Sen. John F. Kennedy--Sept. 12, 1960; Houston.

10. Address to Congress on the Voting Rights Act (We Shall Overcome) --President Lyndon B. Johnson--March 15, 1965; Washington, D.C.