The Medal of Freedom was awarded posthumously to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in a White House ceremony and presented by President Jimmy Carter. The citation accompanying the medal was " Martin Luther King, Jr., was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet." Signed, Jimmy Carter.

President Eisenhower signed a bill requiring use of the inscription 'In God We Trust' on all paper money.