(Photo: AP)

Fifty-one years ago, on Oct. 14, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

At the time, the 35-year-old was the youngest recipient of the award. The civil rights leader turned over the $54,123 in prize money to furthering the civil rights movement.

A few months later, King accepted the award in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10, 1964. During his acceptance speech, King spoke about the urgent need for support and the long road ahead to end racial injustice in the United States.

Here are a few excerpts from the moving speech:

"I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when 22 million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award on behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice."

In the speech, King noted that he first questioned why the civil rights movement received the award, when it had "not yet won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize."

Gallery: Inspirational quotes from MLK's Nobel Peace Prize speech

Martin Luther King, Jr. reacts in St. Augustine, Fla., after learning that the Senate passed the Civil Rights Bill on June 19, 1964.  AP/USA TODAY

King holds his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize medal in Oslo, Norway.  AP/USA TODAY

American clergyman and civil rights campaigner King.  William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images/ USA TODAY

In this April 3, 1968 file photo, King makes his last public appearance at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tenn.  AP/USA TODAY

He said he concluded that the award was granted in recognition, "that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time - the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression."

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