Martin Luther King, civil rights leader, has been called the father of the black civil rights movement. His teachings and speeches inspired a nation of oppressed African Americans to speak out against the white majority and demand their equal rights and opportunities, which were promised by the United States Constitution. Dr. King's most famous, and perhaps most moving speech is known as the "I have a dream" speech. He delivered this address from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. In the speech, he said that he wanted his children to grow up in a land where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but on the contents of their characters.