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Only known handwritten final draft of MLK Jr’s I Have A Dream speech to be auctioned
Martin Luther King Jr’s handwritten final draft of his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech is to be auctioned in New York in January. The sale is expected to exceed $10m, with proceeds going to several charities, including the King Center in Atlanta.
The seven-page draft, written in blue ink on yellow legal pads, was completed at Washington’s Willard hotel in the early hours of 28 August 1963. It was rediscovered in 2024 in a desk drawer belonging to former aide Edward T Clayton; the pages show King’s edits and do not include “I have a dream”, which he added while delivering the speech that day.
In short
- King’s handwritten speech draft will go to auction in January.
- The sale is expected to raise more than $10m.
- The draft omits the famous phrase added during delivery.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “Only known handwritten final draft of MLK Jr’s I Have A Dream speech to be auctioned”.