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librarygeekFrom one of my assignments in the History of the American Civil Rights Movement course -
How did the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. affect the struggle for black equality in America? What is King's legacy?
The assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. affected the struggle for black equality in America in a few different ways. First, Rev. Dr. King’s suffering with the beatings and imprisonments often led to legislators using his explicit suffering as a symbol of black pain to pass specific laws but not change the culture that was leading to his living martyrdom (Voices of Freedom, p. 338, 449). Once Rev. Dr. King was murdered and after the funeral, many people saw no reason to keep working on the laws that didn’t save Rev. Dr. King’s life. Second, Rev. Dr. King had been such an outspoken proponent of nonviolence, to be violently killed, had more people believing that nonviolent change would not work, much as Rev. Dr. King had started despairing to his inner circle at times (Reader, p. 237, 387). Next, the true universalism of the equality and stopping poverty movement broke into more factions, when Rev. Dr. King had already realized that Americans could not change “poverty, ignorance, and disease on an ethnic basis” (Voices of Freedom, p. 463). The African American creativity and activism became more narrowly focused on a cultural renaissance and independent Black institutions (Reader, p. 238-239), instead of serving all those in need as Rev. Dr. King was trying to march even for the sanitation workers before he was killed (Voices of Freedom, p. 470). Last, violence begat more violence, as the cities erupted in riots after Rev. Dr. King’s murder and the Black Panthers in California only tried to contain open violence, and instead had a failed ambush shootout with the police two days after Rev. Dr. King’s assassination (Voices of Freedom, p. 514-515).
Reverend Dr. King Jr.’s legacy was to be remembered as teaching his “message of peace with justice, nonviolence and economic change” to outlive both Rev. Dr. King and cut short his final drive, the Poor People’s Campaign (Reader, p. 237). He left in some of his final speeches how he wanted to be memorialized, as a committed person who tried to serve others (Voices of Freedom, p. 470) but who also “left much undone, much to be done” (Reader, p. 237). Reverend Abernathy said that others could “kill the leader (Reverend Dr. King) but not the dream” (Voices of Freedom, p. 473-4) and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that “the Promised Land is there, and we, as a people, will get there” (Voices of Freedom, p. 465). The United States of America is still not there, but modern generations of activists are trying new ways to demonstrate with nonviolence, and protest the violence still perpetuated against people of color under color of authority.
STUDY MATERIALS Textbook Readings
• Reader: chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10; interlude
• Voices of Freedom: chapters 13–17, 19–22, and 24–26
• Eyes on the Prize: chapter 8
Recommended Viewing
If you have access to the PBS video series Eyes on the Prize through a local library or other outlet, consider viewing the following video programs:
• Bridge to Freedom (1965)
• The Time Has Come (1964–1966)
• Two Societies (1965–1968)
• Power! (1966–1968)
• The Promised Land (1967–1968)
How did the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. affect the struggle for black equality in America? What is King's legacy?
The assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. affected the struggle for black equality in America in a few different ways. First, Rev. Dr. King’s suffering with the beatings and imprisonments often led to legislators using his explicit suffering as a symbol of black pain to pass specific laws but not change the culture that was leading to his living martyrdom (Voices of Freedom, p. 338, 449). Once Rev. Dr. King was murdered and after the funeral, many people saw no reason to keep working on the laws that didn’t save Rev. Dr. King’s life. Second, Rev. Dr. King had been such an outspoken proponent of nonviolence, to be violently killed, had more people believing that nonviolent change would not work, much as Rev. Dr. King had started despairing to his inner circle at times (Reader, p. 237, 387). Next, the true universalism of the equality and stopping poverty movement broke into more factions, when Rev. Dr. King had already realized that Americans could not change “poverty, ignorance, and disease on an ethnic basis” (Voices of Freedom, p. 463). The African American creativity and activism became more narrowly focused on a cultural renaissance and independent Black institutions (Reader, p. 238-239), instead of serving all those in need as Rev. Dr. King was trying to march even for the sanitation workers before he was killed (Voices of Freedom, p. 470). Last, violence begat more violence, as the cities erupted in riots after Rev. Dr. King’s murder and the Black Panthers in California only tried to contain open violence, and instead had a failed ambush shootout with the police two days after Rev. Dr. King’s assassination (Voices of Freedom, p. 514-515).
Reverend Dr. King Jr.’s legacy was to be remembered as teaching his “message of peace with justice, nonviolence and economic change” to outlive both Rev. Dr. King and cut short his final drive, the Poor People’s Campaign (Reader, p. 237). He left in some of his final speeches how he wanted to be memorialized, as a committed person who tried to serve others (Voices of Freedom, p. 470) but who also “left much undone, much to be done” (Reader, p. 237). Reverend Abernathy said that others could “kill the leader (Reverend Dr. King) but not the dream” (Voices of Freedom, p. 473-4) and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that “the Promised Land is there, and we, as a people, will get there” (Voices of Freedom, p. 465). The United States of America is still not there, but modern generations of activists are trying new ways to demonstrate with nonviolence, and protest the violence still perpetuated against people of color under color of authority.
STUDY MATERIALS Textbook Readings
• Reader: chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10; interlude
• Voices of Freedom: chapters 13–17, 19–22, and 24–26
• Eyes on the Prize: chapter 8
Recommended Viewing
If you have access to the PBS video series Eyes on the Prize through a local library or other outlet, consider viewing the following video programs:
• Bridge to Freedom (1965)
• The Time Has Come (1964–1966)
• Two Societies (1965–1968)
• Power! (1966–1968)
• The Promised Land (1967–1968)
