family of King recently declared in public their belief that Ray did not murder the Civil Rights leader.
Whoever is responsible for KingÆs assassination, its impact on American society then and now has been and continues to be significant. This research will provide a discussion of the events that occurred with respect to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as providing a discussion of the events surrounding his murder from a social, political, and religious perspective. A conclusion will address the legacy of King and his assassination on contemporary African American community leaders who try to make KingÆs dream for American society reality.
The era in which Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated was one of racial tension, conflict over the Vietnam war, and growing activism in American society represented by the Civil Rights Movement. At no time in American history since the Civil War had the unity of American society been more threatened with division over differences in opinion on key issues from racial discrimination to American involvement in Vietnam. Social issues engendered by Vietnam and a spiraling deficit would force Johnson not to seek reelection in 1968. The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the racial tensions from Selma to Montgomery, and growing civil unrest were at the forefront of American mentality in April, 1968.
One champion who had emerged as the leader of the African American community and the Civil Rights Movement was Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. King modeled his activism on GandhiÆs principle of passive resistance. He has used the ideology to great effect from sit-ins and bus-ride demonstrations to peace marches and his famous I Have a Dream speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to more than a million people. KingÆs ability to unite and galvanize the African American community made him the enemy of many. From Alabama Governor George Wallace to...