Oral+History+Summary

MLK arrived in Memphis on April 3, 1968 after there had been a bomb threat to take place before his flight. Later that day, King read his "I've been to the Mountaintop" speech to a small crowd in Memphis. After that, he went back to the Lorraine Hotel to get some rest. Later the next day, MLK is shot on the balcony of his hotel room at the Lorraine Hotel at 6:01 PM by James Earl Ray. A great man who for the past 13 years fighting for equality is taken down by a sniper's bullet, all the nonviolent protests got him was a bullet to the head. It was this act of violence that led to the next chain of events all across the US.

Riots occurred in a total of 110 cities all across he US, and the most violent being in Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington DC. More than 22,000 federal troops and 34,000 national guard were sent out out help out the local police, which was the largest number of troop ever called in to calm civil disturbance issues. Approximately $50 million worth of damage was caused by these riots nationwide. A total of 39 people died and 34 of those people were black.

Mourning soon followed in all areas of the world. Many countries held marches in his memory and schools closed and many adults were given days off of work to take part in MLK commemorative events. Planes and busses were sent out from around the country to take mourners to Atlanta, where his body currently was.

As you can see, MLK was a very influential man in thousands of people's lives and in the Civil Rights Movement. Although he's dead, his dream has been partly realized with all areas of life desegregated, equal pay and opportunity laws for blacks, and a greater number of blacks having jobs in areas like government, which almost no blacks worked in government before MLK. MLK's legacy will live on in the US forever, and he will always be known as the single most influential civil rights leader of the time.

Sources:

http://history1900s.about.com/cs/martinlutherking/a/mlkassass.htm

http://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/jofreeman/photos/Kingfuneral.html