Stock footage, are they kidding???

I'm working on a political video for a client. It is a simple video of the lady talking about who she wants for president and thoughts of what is going on.

She wants to include stock footage of Kennedy and MLK. I just looked up these types of clips and I can't believe what they are commanding for a few seconds!

I've moved on to thinking outside of the box - thinking about imagery that can do the same thing.

I went as far to even look for some still shots and the amount for even a photo showing the calendar day of Martin Luther King was crazy!

Looking if anyone has any clips or a site with clips who can get me a better deal. I'm also interested in your imagry ideas - what kinds of images would you use? IE, grave sites, busts, etc.

Is there a library somewhere that anything public domain can be taken from?

Any help is appreciated. I'm taking her audio today but will be anxious to get the rest of the video needed.

It may be a possibility to go to DC for a day and get some shots, but if someone lives down there and has a camera I'd love to talk to you about it.

Jill