On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. said himself that “today will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” His speech talked about equality and freedom for all American citizens. In the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's, African Americans were not treated like white Americans simply because of their skin color. They were discriminated against and treated like garbage. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to change that, which is why he gave this speech and was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He made Congress move faster in passing the Civil Rights Act just by giving this speech in front of thousands of people. If he wouldn't have given this speech, it would have taken many more years for the Civil Rights Act to be passed.