MLK Assassinated

Setting the scene

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was supporting striking sanitation workers. King was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when he was shot by James Earl Ray, a white supremacist, with a rifle. King was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital at 7:05 p.m. He was 39 years old.

What happened

King's assassination came at a turbulent time—he had opposed the Vietnam War, was planning the Poor People's Campaign, and faced criticism from younger militants. Ray, an escaped convict, fled to London but was arrested in June and pleaded guilty in 1969, receiving a 99-year sentence. He later recanted, and conspiracy theories persist, though investigations found no credible evidence of a larger plot.

Why it still matters

King's death triggered riots in over 100 American cities, with 43 deaths and $100 million in damage. The assassination marked the end of the civil rights movement's nonviolent phase and the rise of Black Power. Congress passed the Fair Housing Act on April 11 as a tribute. King's legacy grew after his death—his birthday became a federal holiday in 1983. The assassination demonstrated the violent resistance to racial progress and robbed the movement of its most eloquent voice at a critical moment.

Background

Riots erupted in many US cities.