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Martin Luther King Jr. Speeches Still Hold Significance Today (VIDEO)

WATCH: MLK's Speeches Still Resonate Today
FILE - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledges the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington, D.C. in this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo. Former South African President Nelson Mandela never met with King but the two fought for the same issues at the same time on two different continents. Mandela said in a 1964 speech that he was prepared to die to see his dream of a society where blacks and whites were equal become reality. King was killed by an assassin's bullet while working for that same dream. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledges the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington, D.C. in this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo. Former South African President Nelson Mandela never met with King but the two fought for the same issues at the same time on two different continents. Mandela said in a 1964 speech that he was prepared to die to see his dream of a society where blacks and whites were equal become reality. King was killed by an assassin's bullet while working for that same dream. (AP Photo/File)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have celebrated his 84th birthday this year, and despite his assassination more than four decades ago, his speeches still resonate.

With an ongoing unemployment crisis, a divided government and a society that is far from post-racial, King's words take on contemporary meaning.

Below are some of King's most famous speeches in which he foresees great social progress, rails against the evils of war and warns that American freedoms guaranteed on paper are not granted to all.

Before You Go

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Speeches

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