- Words have had the power to educate, motivate, and inspire throughout history.

Let's explore how speech and other forms of protests may change in the United States.

(light music) It is July 5th, 1852.

The Fugitive Slave Act has made life incredibly dangerous for enslaved Black people, even if they have reached freedom in the North.

In Rochester, New York, Frederick Douglas, an escaped slave himself delivers a speech entitled "What To The Slave is The 4th of July?"

Douglas addresses the contradiction of how American values outlined in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence exclude enslaved people.

He says, "The blessings in which you, this day rejoice are not enjoyed in common.

The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me.

This 4th of July is yours, not mine."

Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech was delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28th, 1963.

The speech was a tool, pressuring Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act.

In his speech, King said, "It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.

1963 is not an end, but a beginning.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

The impact of the March on Washington and King's speech could not be denied.

President Johnson and Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 less than a year later.

It is considered one of the most important pieces of legislation in our history.

And sometimes free speech is well, speechless.

The silent sentinels quietly protested in front of the White House asking President Wilson to support women's suffrage, beginning in January, 1917.

The protesters remained for two and a half years through arrest, harassment, and even torture.

The silent sentinels stayed at their post until the 19th Amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote.

Many protests are a 24/7 operation, like the 504 Sit-In held at a San Francisco Federal Building in 1977.

504 was a section of the Rehabilitation Act that guaranteed people with disabilities could not be discriminated against from programs receiving federal funds.

Yet 504 regulations were never outlined or enforced.

Dozens of people with disabilities occupied the building and after 28 days the pressure of the sit-in led to new regulations.

Ed Roberts, a leader in the protest, said, "We, who are considered the weakest, the most helpless people in our society, are the strongest and will not tolerate segregation, will not tolerate a society which sees us as less than whole people.

But we will together, with our friends, reshape the image that this society has of us."

Protest has been a powerful tool throughout U.S. history, and words have often been the catalyst for change.

Remembering those who have spoken out against injustice can inspire us all to take action.

What causes would inspire you to protest?