Christie's to Auction MLK's 'I Have a Dream' Draft
The handwritten seven-page draft of the 1963 speech is expected to sell in January, with proceeds benefiting the King Center in Atlanta.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Philanthropy
Christie's will auction Martin Luther King Jr.'s handwritten draft of the 'I Have a Dream' speech in January 2027. The document is the only known handwritten final draft of the speech to survive and had long been assumed lost.
Why it matters
The document had long been assumed to have been discarded, so its survival offers a rare direct look at how King composed the address. Proceeds will support the King Center in Atlanta and other philanthropic causes chosen by the consignor.
Christie's expects the seven-page, blue-ink manuscript to fetch more than $10 million. The figure is a pre-sale estimate, and the actual price will depend on bidding at the January auction.
The players
Martin Luther King Jr.
American civil rights leader and Baptist minister who led the nonviolent movement against racial segregation in the United States and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Christie's
Global auction house headquartered in New York that specializes in fine art, collectibles and historical documents.
King Center
Atlanta-based nonprofit founded by Coretta Scott King to preserve and promote the legacy of nonviolent social change associated with Martin Luther King Jr.
The details
King wrote the draft by hand on a yellow pad in a Washington hotel room the night before delivering the speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, crossing out words and paragraphs before sending it to be typed. The document surfaced from a desk drawer belonging to former aide Edward T. Clayton and is being consigned by his widow, Xernona Clayton.
Timeline
August 27, 1963: King wrote the draft the night before the speech.
August 28, 1963: King delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
October 2026: The document was displayed at Christie's Manhattan offices.
January 2027: The document will be auctioned at Christie's.
Historical Record
The 1963 Lincoln Memorial address remains one of the most studied American speeches, and this manuscript adds to a limited body of surviving drafts from the civil rights era. Its survival after being presumed discarded makes it an unusual addition to the historical record of the movement.
The auction makes a historical document available to bidders and institutions rather than keeping it in private hands. Proceeds directed to the King Center could fund its programs preserving King's legacy.
The takeaway
Documents once thought lost can resurface in private collections, and their sale can channel funds into the institutions that preserve their history. Readers interested in the speech's background can consult the King Center's archives in Atlanta.
What happens next
The manuscript will be offered at Christie's auction in January 2027, when the final sale results and any proceeds disbursement to the King Center will become known.
Further reading
Explore more Philanthropy coverage on how donated artifacts and auction proceeds support civil rights institutions.
