On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. A crowd of about 250,000 people listened as he gave one of the most famous speeches of all time, “I Have a Dream.” King said he dreamed of a nation in which everyone lived by the words of the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
To many Americans, King was the face of the civil rights movement. During the long struggle to gain equal rights for Black Americans, King used nonviolent ways to try to bring about change. He led protests against unjust laws. His speeches inspired countless people to join the cause for equality.
Since 2011, a permanent tribute to King and his dream has stood not far from where he gave his most famous speech. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. It includes a 450-foot-long stone wall with 14 famous quotes by King. At the center of the memorial stands a 30-foot-tall sculpture of him called the Stone of Hope.