Tens of thousands swarmed the Lincoln Memorial on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon to mark five decades of the Civil Rights movement and the ongoing fight for equality in America, a fight that has made tremendous strides but is far from over.

President Obama, one of three presidents to speak at the Let Freedom Ring Ceremony - on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial - in honor of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, delivered a moving and passionate speech about progress and the continuing fight for equal rights in America.

Around 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time bells across the country rang as a symbol to Dr. King. According to MSNBC, the Lincoln Memorial was "one of three hundred sites where bells will ring."

President Obama started by mentioning some of the dignitaries in the crowd and then went on to read an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence. He discussed how in 1963, "…a full century after…emancipation…people assembled here…under the shadow of the Great Emancipator to petition…" President Obama said this group was made of African Americans and white people who no longer wanted freedom for themselves.

SEE ALSO: March On Washington: 50 Years Later

The president then spoke about what rights African Americans did not have, one of the examples he spoke of was how veterans came home after fighting for freedom for their own country  but still did not have their own proper rights. Obama then discussed how these protests were "non-violent" and how protesters "went to prison" and sacrificed for what they believed in.

"That's how history is made," Obama yelled. "There's a reason why so many marched that day...they dared to dream differently and imagine something better."

Obama spoke about other forms of non-violent protest and the injustices that African Americans, women and other races, had to go through, which transitioned to a more positive tone. The president said that the "march" led to a Voter Rights Act and then later mentioned how the "White House has changed." He then transitioned to speaking about what happened abroad and then spoke about what other groups had to go through.

President Obama then spoke about how civil rights leaders "did not die in vain…" Their flame remains because of those who are still fighting for rights, equal pay, health care, racial justice and women's rights.

 

Read President Obama's full speech here.

 

Reach Associate News Editor Max Schwartz here; follow him on Twitter here.