(RE: The Martin Luther King Jr. Experience [previous post] )
Born in 1929, The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is most famously known for his non-violent work during the Civil Rights Movement between 1954 and 1965. Most often overlooked are the two years prior to Dr. King’s assassination, 1966 through 1968. During this time he faced a new set of struggles and underwent changes that often go unrecognized.
Most well known for his non-violent approach to civil rights, it is often overlooked that people began opposing his tactics. Many of King’s younger followers accused him of being too careful. Some even believed he was in cahoots with the federal and local authorities. As time went on, King began being criticized more frequently and by an ever-growing number of people.
The younger and more radical “black-power” fanatics sought immediate change by means of confrontation. King, on the other hand, sought patience, middle class respectability, and a measured approach to social change. When Malcolm X came on the scene in the later years of King’s life, he called King’s tactics “criminal.” He stated, “Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks.” (Biography.com)
To counteract the criticisms he was facing, King decided to take on other issues beyond racism. On April 4, 1967 at the Riverside Church in New York City, King dedicated himself to the opposition of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. He delivered a speech entitled “Beyond Vietnam,” in which he strongly opposed U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In the speech, he said,
“I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing-oriented” society to a “person-oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” (King, Jr.).
This quote clearly illustrates his values during the last few years of his life. It is a theme that can be seen throughout his lesser-known works. He believed that it was necessary to change the economics of the country. “[T]rue compassion is more than throwing a coin to a beggar, but to see an edifice which produces beggars needs a restructuring… From Vietnam to South Africa through Latin America, the United States is on the wrong side of the world revolution, (King, Jr.)
In response to this speech, The Washington Post printed, King “has diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, and his people,” (AssociatedContent). Many Americans saw King’s speech as slander towards the American government (which is understandable given the harsh criticisms in the speech).
Centered around the same principles that King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech outlined, he and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) launched the Poor People’s Campaign in 1967. The goal of this campaign was to bring to the forefront the economic injustices people in America faced. The campaign included all poor people in America, not just the poor blacks in America. King referred to the campaign as the “second phase” of the Civil Rights movement.
The aim of the campaign was to rebuild American cities. King and the SCLC wanted an Economic Bill of Rights to be passed by congress. Under this Bill, Government would make helping the poor a priority by creating an “antipoverty” package that would give the poor guaranteed housing and an annual income. They claimed that Congress had previously “demonstrated its hostility to the poor – appropriating military funds with alacrity and generosity, but providing poverty funds with miserliness,” (Poorpeoplescampaignppc.org).
Still, King had other endeavors not often heard of. In February of 1968, two black sanitation workers were crushed to death due to an accident that involved an involuntary triggering of the crushing mechanism in the garbage truck. That very same day, 22 black sewage workers were sent home without pay due to severe weather. Their white superiors stayed the rest of the day and received pay. Later, about 1,100 black sanitation workers went on strike for job safety, fair wages and benefits, and union recognition.
Though King was involved in organizing The Poor People’s Campaign at the time, he agreed to support their cause. He spoke at a rally in Memphis in March of that year, and agreed to lead the march that was planned for later in the month.
The march ended badly when a few people at the end began breaking windows and looting buildings. 60 people were injured and one looter was killed. A lawsuit was filed against King and some of King’s associates in the SCLC. The city of Memphis was granted a temporary restraining order against King and his associates.
Still concerned with non-violent protest, the violence that occurred during the march upset King. He was quoted in 1968 as saying “I’m frankly tired of marching. I’m tired of going to jail. Living every day under the threat of death, I feel discouraged every now and then and feel my work’s in vain, but then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again,” (Biography.com). King agreed to lead another march, originally scheduled for April 5, 1968, only with the assurance that they, too, were committed to non-violence. A few of King’s associates worked out an agreement with a Memphis judge that would allow King and his protestors to march on April 8, 1968, and the details would be organized on the next day, April 5. As King stepped out on to the balcony of his motel room on that very same evening, he was assassinated (Archives.gov).
On April 3, 1968, just one day before he was assassinated, King delivered his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech to a crowd at the Mason Temple Church. In that speech, he said, “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land,” (biography.com)
King and his associates were staying in room number 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on the night of his assassination. As he stepped out on to his balcony, a bullet hit King in the face, traveled down his spinal cord, and lodged itself in his shoulder. He was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital where emergency chest surgery was done. He was pronounced dead following the surgery.
At King’s request, none of his awards were listed during his funeral. Instead, he asked that it be said that he tried to “feed the hungry”, “clothe the naked”, “be right on the war question”, and “love and serve humanity”. Two months after King’s assassination, James Earl Ray, an escaped convict, was captured and admitted to the murder. He withdrew his statement three days later.
Following King’s assassination, riots broke out all over America. According to the report by Walter Cronkite on the night of King’s assassination, the citizens of Harlem, the largest black community in America, wandered out into the streets following the news. Some were dazed, others were crying.
People who worked with King asked those who were rioting to do so peacefully. They wanted to respect King’s values of non-violence. Robert Kennedy gave a speech to a crowd announcing King’s death. It was the only time people had heard him speak of his own brother, John F. Kennedy’s, assassination.
With riots breaking out everywhere following King’s death, many people were killed, thousands were injured, and there were millions of dollars worth of property damage.
King remains one of the most widely known African American leaders of his era. He was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. There is a memorial dedicated to him near where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.. He taught a nation that it was possible to achieve change through peaceful demonstration and nonviolent means. His assassination was tragic, but it does not define him. He would have been recognized as one of the great leaders in America whether he died at the hand of an assassin or of old age.
One fact I found particularly interesting regarding King’s assassination was that his family did not believe that James Earl Ray was responsible for the murder. They even helped him have a retrial. Another was King’s prophetic speech the night before he died. I had heard of the speech before, but I actually watched him deliver it (thanks to the wonder that is YouTube), and it was just incredibly chilling to hear him speaking of his own death the day before it happened. The final fact I found particularly interesting was that during his autopsy, it was discovered that King, though only in his 30’s, had the heart of an elderly man. That just goes to show how much strain he was under constantly, and he never once took a break, he never once backed down, and even in death, he continues to inspire people.
Sources
King, Jr., Martin L. “Rev. Martin Luther King, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html>.
“Martin Luther King Jr Against the Vietnam War and Poverty.” Associated Content – Associatedcontent.com. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1383620/martin_luther_king_jr_against_the_vietnam.html?cat=37>.
“Martin Luther King, Jr., and Memphis Sanitation Workers.” National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/memphis-v-mlk/>.
“Martin Luther King Jr. Biography.” Biography.com. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.biography.com/articles/Martin-Luther-King-Jr.-9365086?part=4>.
“POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN – HISTORY.” POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN – HOME. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.poorpeoplescampaignppc.org/HISTORY.html>.
