Racial Controversy Surrounding the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for protesting without a permit. The same day that King was arrested, a letter was written and signed by eight clergymen from Birmingham and titled “A Call for Unity”. The letter called for ending demonstrations and civil activities and indicated King as an “outsider”. On April 16, 1963, King responded to their letter with his own call, which has come to be known as his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” King justified the nonviolent measures that sent him to jail and explained why the segregation laws against blacks in the south must be changed (356-371). At the beginning of this letter, King gives

The marchers gathered at the Washington Monument before dawn as planned on August 28, 1963. At 11:30, 100,000 to 200,000 of them began marching towards the Lincoln Memorial singing “We Shall Overcome” (“The March on Washington” 12). At the memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered multiple speeches along with other African Americans about segregation and discrimination issues. During one of his speeches, King Jr. declared that “we will not hate you, but we cannot obey your unjust laws. Do to us what you will and we will still love you…But we will soon wear you down by our capacity to suffer. And in winning our freedom, we will so appeal to your heart and conscience, that we will win you in the process” (“Negro Protest Movement” 507). This statement by King Jr. describes his plans of further nonviolent protesting against “unjust laws” to convince others of the civil rights movement’s cause. He furthers this statement and elaborates his ideas in his infamous speech, “I Have a Dream.”

There was a downside to all of this though. Many people agreed with Martin, while others didn't. Others didn’t want a change like Martin did. Martin received frequent death threats due to his prominence in the civil rights movement. Though blacks and whites alike mourned King’s passing, the killing in some ways served to widen the rift between black and white Americans, as many blacks saw King’s assassination as a rejection of their vigorous pursuit of equality through the nonviolent resistance he had championed. This showed that people were still not happy with what Martin

Martin Luther King Jr. changed the Civil Rights movement with the sound of his voice. Martin Luther King was the most powerful activist for equal rights because of his peaceful marches, and speeches. The March on Washington and the I Have a Dream speech were the most important events he participated in. The “I Have a Dream” speech took place in August, 1963, in Washington D.C. The speech was monumental for the Civil Rights Movement, as it was broadcasted nationwide. The speech consisted of how African Americans have been discriminated against as time progress since the Gettysburg Address one hundred years before. Dr. King then went on to explain some of the problems African Americans still face today. As the speech went on he gradually raised

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and an activist who became one of the most prominent leaders and spokesperson in the Civil Rights Movement. King used tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience that was based on his Christian beliefs. King became known for his public speaking ability and continued to rise and speak within his ministry. King graduated from Morehouse with a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and enrolled in Crozier Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania and graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity. After getting married to his wife, Coretta Scott King in 1953, King then began his Doctoral Studies in systematic theology at Boston University and graduated with a Ph.D. In 1957, King and other civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This group was created to organize the power of black churches to conduct nonviolent protest in the service of the civil rights reform. He was dedicated to this group and led the conference until the day he died. In April 1963, the SCLC began a campaign against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. King used nonviolent but confrontational tactics. During the protests, the Birmingham Police Department used police dogs and high-pressure water jets against the protestors (women and children included). King was arrested and jailed early in the campaign. From his cell, he wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which is a response to the calls of condemnation on the

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a text by Martin Luther King Jr. that explains his rationale for holding nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. As an ardent leader of the civil rights movement, King led multiple peaceful protests against segregation, many of which sparked conflicts with local governments. In 1963, the city of Birmingham, Alabama imprisoned King for his role in a demonstration there. While in jail, King received news that eight local clergymen had published a statement criticizing his part in the protest and arguing that it only served to interfere with the efforts to improve racial relationships in the city. In response, he wrote an impassioned letter countering the clergymen’s arguments and clarifying his own views.

On August 28, 1963 more than 250,000 civil-rights supporters attended the March on Washington. Addressing the protesters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Profoundly, he proclaimed for a free nation of equality where all race would join together in the effort to achieve common ground. King stated his yearning for all colors to unite and be judged by character, not by race. African Americans would not be satisfied until their desire for freedom from persecution, bitterness, and hatred prevailed. Not only were the points in his speech powerful, but also the delivery he gave was so persuading and real

and his supporters were making plans for a massive demonstration on the nation's capital composed of multiple organizations, all asking for peaceful change. On August 28, 1963, the historic March on Washington drew more than 200,000 people in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. It was here that King made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, emphasizing his belief that someday all men could be brothers.

The March on Washington took place August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C. Over 200,000 people attended this event for jobs and freedom. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech was the highlight of the march. Asa Philip Randolf proposed a March on Washington because he was motivated to improve the conditions of black Americans. Bayard Rustin, Randolph’s reliable colleague, dealt with the organization and the details of the March. Many organizations and community leaders were a part of the march including Whitney Young, Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, John Lewis, and Walter Reuther. Black Americans were determined to get their rights and the march was supposed to help with the political and social challenges that African Americans were facing

On April 4th, Martin Luther King Jr. was outside on the balcony of his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he went to direct a nonviolent march in support of striking sanitation workers. He was killed by a shot that hit his face and neck. A little while following the killing a package was dropped close to the assassination scene and Memphis police found that the firearm in the package had been bought by a Harvey Lowmeyer, shortly after was identified to be one of many aliases used by James Earl Ray. Ray was afterward took to the U.S. to go to trial. His legal representative swayed him to plea guilty to pass up receiving a death penalty. On March 10th, 1969 Ray pleaded at fault to first-degree murder and got 99 years in prison, but then he took

Why? What did the Black race do to deserve this? Martin Luther King Jr. knew that was happening in the daily lives of the Black community was not okay. He took a stand and used his preaching and public speaking abilities to try to make a change. Martin went to jail several times while trying to make a difference during his protest for racial equality. With his act of courage, strong willingness, and positivity, he and the people that followed continued to push forward for the justice and equal rights that they deserved. Martin Luther King made an amazing effect on the world’s racial equality towards Blacks that caused the community's atmosphere to reunite as one race.

Martin Luther King remains one of the most controversial historical figures of the 20th century. Historians and modern politicians alike, challenge his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and the legitimacy of his leadership. While King is traditionally presented as a leader of the movement, Ella Baker, an African American Civil Rights activists, questions this convention and claims “the [Civil Rights] movement made Martin.” Furthermore, often portrayed as the decisive factor of social change, King’s leadership and significance in the Civil Rights Movement is largely overemphasized and his exaggerated historical importance, detracts from the myriad of social factors and local movements that propelled social change. Although Martin

He spoke at over 2,500 public events and delivered up to 450 speeches per year. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., delivered a speech to a massive group of civil rights marchers gathered around the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC. The culmination of this event was the influential and most memorable speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. Popularly known as the “I have a dream” speech, he is an inspiration to me because he spoke in the most iconic manner, behind every word he spoke there was a deep and valuable meaning that still retains in our world today. He improvised the speech, but he was able to give the most outstanding speech, the words he spoke influenced the Federal government to understand the racial inequality and take more actions to realize racial

He realized how significant the boycott was and that Gandhi's nonviolent tactics could be used by Southern blacks. King remained the major spokesperson in Montgomery, but no one seemed to act upon what he was talking about. On February 1, 1960 four freshmen in North Carolina began a wave of sit-ins. This was designed to end segregation at lunch counters. During the summer of 1963, the number of protests had risen and one huge protest in civil rights history began. It was the March on Washington, which cultivated over 200,000 participants, this is where King delivered his famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” One part of this speech capture the spirit of the protest, King said, “I have a dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed–we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

On August 28th, 1963, a huge march was taken place in Washington, D.C. for jobs and freedom. During this day, 250,000 people attended this march called the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” (NCC staff). As people united on this day for justice, not only did they march, but they also weren’t expecting a speech that became legendary. Martin Luther King a Civil Rights Leader, made this day a huge deal with his “I Have A Dream” speech. This iconic speech from Martin Luther King made not just those 250,000 people realize freedom and equality, but it also impacted every single one of us.