Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The murder of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Lorraine Motel: A Memphis motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968. King was standing on its second-floor balcony when the fatal shot struck him.
Memphis sanitation strike: A 1968 labor strike by Black sanitation workers seeking union recognition and safer working conditions in Memphis. King came to Memphis to support the strikers and planned to lead another march.
King assassination riots: A wave of civil unrest across the United States following King’s assassination in April 1968. The murder triggered uprisings in cities across the country, including Washington, D.C.
Assassination of John F. Kennedy: The 1963 murder of United States president John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. Like King’s murder, it prompted federal inquiries and persistent disputes over conspiracy.
James Earl Ray: An escaped convict who pleaded guilty to King’s murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray was identified as the gunman and became the central figure in the criminal case.
I Am a Man: A slogan asserting the dignity and humanity of Black sanitation workers during the 1968 Memphis strike. The strikers’ demand gave King’s Memphis visit its immediate civil-rights context.
Civil Rights Act of 1968: A United States law prohibiting discrimination in housing and addressing civil-rights-related offenses. Congress enacted the law days after King’s murder amid national mourning and unrest.
Loyd Jowers: A Memphis restaurant owner who claimed in a 1990s television interview to have helped arrange King’s murder. His allegations drove the civil trial that challenged the lone-gunman account.
Memphis Police Department: The municipal police force responsible for law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee. Its officers responded to the shooting and took part in the initial investigation.
Poor People's Campaign: A 1968 movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to address poverty. King was organizing the campaign while supporting Memphis workers.

Linked from 3 pages