THE ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING

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THE ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING


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Who were Dr. Kings enemies?

• By 1968 he was losing support
• Why?
• Non-violent methods were not changing life in the
  ghetto
• Less popular with young Blacks
• Black Panthers
• Black power
• riots

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Who were Dr. Kings enemies?

• Attacked the US governments involvement in
  Vietnam
• He argued they should be spending money at home
  to help reduce poverty

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Who were Dr. Kings enemies?

• The FBI saw him as a threat
• They had continuously undermined the Civil Rights
  movement
• FBI had paid Black Americans to cause trouble at
  non-violent protests

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Who were Dr. Kings enemies?

• Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam were
  increasing their numbers
• Both groups criticised Kings ideas of
  non-violence and integration

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Who were Dr. Kings enemies?

• King disagreed with the idea of separatism
• Some people argue that by mid 1960s King was
  campaigning for widespread Human Rights
• Therefore not focused solely on the problems in
  the North

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Memphis, 1968

• King went to Memphis, Tennessee to support a
  strike by bin men
• The peaceful march turned into a riot
• This was an embarrassment to King
• He returned two weeks later to protest peacefully
  

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Speech on the night of his death

• weve got some difficult days ahead like
  anybody I would like to live a long life.. But
  Im not concerned about that now.. Ive seen the
  promised land. I may not get there with you but I
  want to know that we as a people will get to the
  promised land.

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Assassination, April 4th, 1968

• James Earl Ray an escaped convict shot King as he
  stood on the balcony of his motel room
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/a
  pril/4/newsid_2453000/2453987.stm

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Assassination, April 4th, 1968

• Riots erupted in 168 cities
• 70,000 US troops were required to restore order

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Significance of MLK

• Nearly all Black Americans and most whites agree
  that eh was one of the most important leaders of
  any colour in the 20th century
• He forced changes
• He gave people a dream to live for Jesse Haley