The Birth of a New Nation

April 7, 1957.
Sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "Birth of a New Nation" sermon in Montgomery in 1957, a month after Ghana liberated itself from British colonial rule. King begins this speech with the Exodus story, "the story of the flight of the Hebrew people from the bondage of Egypt, through the wilderness, and finally, to the promised land."

Quote:

"Ghana has something to say to us. It says to us first that the oppressor never voluntarily gives freedom to the oppressed. You have to work for it. Freedom is never given to anybody. Privileged classes never give up their privileges without strong resistance."

Commentary:

• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/22/676149/-MLK-Jr-and-The-Birth-of-a-New-Nation
• http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2011/01/viewpoints_martin_luther_king.html

Read in Full: The entire text and audio of this speech available at: http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/kingpapers/article/the_birth_of_a_new_nation_sermon_delivered_at_dexter_avenue_baptist_church/

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