The Assassination of Martin Luther King, 1968 (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

Summary

Martin Luther King became the figurehead of the civil rights movement. His calls for tolerance and non-violence won him the support of millions of both Black and White Americans. When he was shot dead by a racist assassin in April 1968, hundreds of American cities erupted in rioting and violence. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed in the immediate aftermath of his death but King’s murder marked the end of an era. Afterwards, there were fewer calls for unity between Black and White people and America’s racial divide seemed wider than ever.

How was Martin Luther King Assassinated?

• Martin Luther King was assassinated on 4 April 1968

• He was shot dead on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee

• James Earl Ray, a White American, was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison

Short-Term Impacts of Martin Luther King’s Assassination

• King’s murder immediately triggered rioting in over a hundred different cities across America

• The five days of rioting led to:

  • The deaths of 39 people

  • Thousands being injured 

  • Over 27,000 arrests

• President Lyndon B. Johnson responded to the riots by:

  • Declaring a state of emergency

  • Sending 4,000 troops from the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee

  • Declaring 7 April 1968 a national day of mourning for Martin Luther King

• The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was also passed within a week of King’s death

  • Many historians have argued that it was King’s death that allowed President Johnson to overcome opposition to the Act

Long-Term Impacts of Martin Luther King’s Assassination

• King’s death marked the end of an era for the civil rights movement

• The civil rights movement had lost its most important and influential leader

• There was a move away from the non-violent direct action approach to a more militant Black Power approach which led to:

  • An increase in ill-feeling and distrust between Black Americans and White Americans

  • The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) decided to drop the term non-violent from its name in 1969