Take a few minutes to have a listen to a shortened version of the speech and the most famous section which is partly improvised and thought to have been prompted by gospel singer Mahalia Jackson's cry "Tell them about the dream, Martin!"
The BBC have marked the anniversary with a selection of programmes about the March on Washington. If you want to find out more about the man and the struggle for Civil Rights follow these links:
Martin Luther King
What the speech tells us about Martin Luther King
King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, but was assassinated just four years later by criminal James Earl Ray.
