52 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. taught America how to dream.
On Aug. 28, 1963 — standing at a podium in front of a crowd of over 200,000 people of all ages, nationalities, and races — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream for America.
Called "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," the rally in Washington, D.C., was organized as a call for civil and economic rights for African-Americans. At the time, Jim Crow laws in the South continued to mandate the segregation of schools, public spaces, businesses, and even marriages — ensuring that African-Americans would remain second-class citizens in the United States.
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With his thunderous voice and undeniable charisma, King spoke those monumental words: "I have a dream..."
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"...that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
Organizing the march came with a number of setbacks. In the days prior to the march, many of its participants received death threats from people who felt threatened by change in America.
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"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."
A phone call to the FBI even warned of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., while bomb threats grounded a number of incoming flights that morning.
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