Lawmakers commemorated the 56th anniversary of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Lawmakers commemorated the 56th anniversary of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In commemorating the speech - one of the major historic moments of the civil rights movement - lawmakers said the anniversary of King's remarks underline the need to rectify racial inequities and work to make political rhetoric more civil.

"In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the #MarchOnWashington to nearly a quarter-million people. 56 years later, we still have much more work to do to make his dream a reality. We should all do what we can to advance his vision every single day," Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) tweeted.

Lawmakers commemorated the 56th anniversary of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

In commemorating the speech - one of the major historic moments of the civil rights movement - lawmakers said the anniversary of King's remarks underline the need to rectify racial inequities and work to make political rhetoric more civil.

"In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the #MarchOnWashington to nearly a quarter-million people. 56 years later, we still have much more work to do to make his dream a reality. We should all do what we can to advance his vision every single day," Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) tweeted.

On the anniversary of the 1963 #MarchOnWashington, we not only celebrate the bravery of the 200,000 demonstrators who rightly protested the disenfranchisement of black Americans & demanded change, we also recognize that inequality still exists & continue to fight to end it.

The "I Have a Dream" speech was given at the height of the civil rights movement in 1963. Speaking in front of more than 50,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King said he had "a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."