who said free at last

The famous line “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” was spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

The “I Have a Dream” Speech

King delivered this speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to a crowd of over 250,000 people gathered for the historic civil rights march. The speech called for an end to racism and for true racial equality and justice in the United States, using powerful biblical and patriotic imagery.

The “Free at last” passage comes near the end of the speech, where King imagines a future where people “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. He builds to that climax with the repeated line: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”.

What King Meant by “Free at Last”

For King, “free at last” was not just about legal freedom from slavery or segregation, but about full moral, social, and political liberation. He was expressing hope that one day, Black Americans and all oppressed people would finally be able to live with dignity, equality, and justice under the law.

The phrase also has deep roots in African American spirituals and the Black church tradition, where “free at last” echoes the longing for deliverance and the promise of God’s justice. By ending his speech this way, King tied the civil rights struggle to a larger, sacred vision of freedom and redemption.

Why This Line Is So Famous

This closing line has become one of the most quoted and recognized phrases in American history because it captures the emotional and spiritual core of the civil rights movement. It’s often cited in discussions about freedom, equality, and the ongoing fight for justice around the world.

Today, “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last” is almost always attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. and is seen as a defining moment in the struggle for civil rights in the U.S..

Bottom line: The words “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” were spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.