Martin Luther King Jr’s historic speech draft heads to auction

A handwritten seven-page draft of Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic 1963 speech is going under the hammer at Christie’s New York in January 2027. Preserved for decades by his aide, Edward T. Clayton, the manuscript is the only known handwritten final draft and retains King’s edits and corrections.

It is expected to fetch more than $10 million, with the proceeds benefiting several charities, including the Xernona Clayton Foundation and The King Center. The manuscript will be publicly displayed at Christie’s New York, at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, from Dr King’s birthday on 15 January to 21 January, before being offered in a single-lot sale on 22 January 2027.The seven pages​At about 4 am on 28 August 1963, Martin Luther King Jr was still awake in his room at the Willard Hotel in Washington. He had been fine-tuning his speech to fit it into five minutes.

By the time he finished, he had filled seven yellow legal pages with blue ink. Later that morning, his assistants would type them up for reporters.