December 5, 1955 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebrates the Success of the Black Bus Boycott in Alabama

In one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s greatest speeches, he spoke to an audience at the Holt Street Baptist Church about the boycott started when Mrs. Rosa Parks was taken off the public bus in Montgomery, carried to jail, and arrested for refusing to move to the back:

We are here in a general sense because first and foremost we are American citizens, and we are determined to apply our citizenship to the fullness of its meaning. We are here also because of our love for democracy, because of our deep-seated belief that democracy transformed from thin paper to thick action is the greatest form of government on earth.

…And we are not wrong; we are not wrong in what we are doing. If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong. If we are wrong, Jesus of Nazareth was merely a utopian dreamer that never came down to Earth. If we are wrong, justice is a lie…”

Many believe this was his most important speech. You can read it in its entirety here.