I've Been to the Mountaintop

For the related play, see The Mountaintop.
"I've Been to the Mountaintop"
Final 30 seconds of "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. – the final words of his last public speech.
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The plaque outside the site of the speech, Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee

"I've Been to the Mountaintop" is the popular name of the final speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr.[1][2][3]

King spoke on April 3, 1968,[4] at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee.

The speech primarily concerns the Memphis sanitation strike. King calls for unity, economic actions, boycotts, and nonviolent protest, while challenging the United States to live up to its ideals. At the end of the speech, he discusses the possibility of an untimely death.

  1. ^ Martin Luther King Jr. (April 3, 1968). "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (Transcript). American Rhetoric.
  2. ^ "I've Been to the Mountaintop." Memphis, Tennessee – April 3, 1968. Speech by Martin Luther King Jr. Info and transcript. Say It Plain. A Century of Great African American Speeches. By American RadioWorks.
  3. ^ Martin Luther King Jr.: "I've Been to the Mountaintop", delivered 3 April 1968, Memphis, Tennessee at Stanford University, including transcript of audience responses.
  4. ^ Daina Ramey Berry (March 27, 2018). "Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Final Speech". History.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.