US President George W Bush was among speakers at a ceremony marking the start of work on a US national memorial to Martin Luther King.
The monument to the civil rights leader would "preserve his legacy for ages", the president said.
Work on the four-acre memorial is set to finish in 2008, and comes 10 years after Congress approved the tribute.
It is near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, where King gave his "I have a dream" speech in 1963.
"Dr King showed us that a life of conscious and purpose can lift up many souls, and on this ground a monument will rise that preserves his legacy for the ages," Mr Bush said at the ground-breaking ceremony on Washington's National Mall.
Also at the dedication were former President Bill Clinton, TV celebrity Oprah Winfrey and prize-winning poet Maya Angelou.
Mr Bush said he wanted to "particularly thank" Mr Clinton, who signed the legislation authorising the monument.
The memorial is being built on a tract of land on a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.
Its $100m (£52m) price tag is being financed by numerous private and corporate donors.
Notable supporters of the project include Star Wars producer George Lucas, former US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Jack Valenti, former president of the Motion Picture Association of America.
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