When slavery was put to an end, it was claimed that freedom would be returned to all Americans. It turned out not to be the case. Why is that? The answer is simple, but we try to avoid it. Humans are selfish. That is the answer in and of itself. We want what is easiest, and what is easiest is what is already known to us. Whites in the late 1800's seemed to have forgotten about giving African Americans freedom, but in actuality, they were avoiding it. They didn't know anything about blacks, other than that they had been slaves. They didn't know anything but themselves and their desires. They knew what they and other whites wanted for America, but were afraid that things would change the moment African Americans were allowed to vote. The same way some whites didn't want blacks to vote, they didn't want them to be a part of their lives and soon made laws to isolate African Americans from whites. While there were whites who were more than willing to create equality; the ones in power and the majority focused on themselves were not, and this is what led to segregation in the United States.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Was a figure who wanted segregation to cease. Many of us have heard that he was assassinated on a balcony in Memphis on April 4, 1968, but how many of us know what led up to his murder? Why was he in Memphis in the first place? Two months before King's death, a terrible accident caused the compactor of a garbage truck to turn on and crush two black garbage men, killing them. Due to a storm on the same day, twenty-two black sewer workers weren't paid and were sent home by their white bosses. One thousand one hundred sanitation workers decided to go on strike on February 12th. The mayor of Memphis at the time declined their wishes of higher pay, safety, and a union. The workers were persistent in their strike and Memphians began to help out in the cause. Food, clothing, and money for the workers to pay off their bills was gathered. King, despite his schedule, agreed to come to Memphis to participate in a rally and a march. During the March 28th march, several paraders decided to break into stores and steal what they could. Many were injured and police thought King was to blame. King wanted to hold another March on April 5th, but authorities thought he should be banned from Memphis. Others who had helped King plan the March met with Bailey Brown, the judge on April 4th. They planned to meet with King over dinner that night. As King was preparing to leave, he was shot on the balcony of his motel.
For Lamar N., now a 63 year old man, the only activities that existed outside of his neighborhood 46 years ago were school and church. If the church doors were open, his family was there. If not, they were at home in their neighborhood. Their neighborhood was to them as it was to most; it was their island. Everything was polarized then. There were black neighborhoods and there were white neighborhoods. Everyone was isolated socially and they were absorbed in their own lives. Things were going on but not much though was given to it. As a teen his neighborhood was Parkway Village in Memphis and at that time it could have been a "Leave it to Beaver" neighborhood.
April 4th was a typical day in 1968. Lamar was a typical teenager. He had done what he did everyday; he got up, rode the bus to school, came back and goofed off. Word of King being shot passed slowly. There was no "breaking news" at that time. When his family found out, it was a shock, and everyone was waiting for an aftershock. Lamar's father traveled through black neighborhoods each day when he came home from work and Lamar's mother worried about his safety. She was afraid that the blacks would riot. Lamar didn't know what to expect. Most had an anticipation for what would happen. Police shut the city down. Lamar believes that it stalled what could've happened. Everyone though that if they got out, they'd get shot. Some whites thought they'd get shot by blacks and some blacks thought they'd get shot by police. There was a fear of the unknown and most of the city was silent. The night didn't unfold as most thought it would, probably because no one was prepared.
After Kings death, people didn't change dramatically. No one would've said that they were glad he was shot. Some people's attitudes changed, but a majority of the change in thought and opinion occurred as people matured, not immediately after the assassination. As for Lamar, his opinions changed. Before he knew much about Martin Luther King Jr., he thought he was a troublemaker who had come to Memphis to start riots. He thought that King had plagiarized other speeches. Lamar has learned more about King since then that caused him to think differently. He says that King's heart was good and he was sincere about peace.
Martin Lither King, Jr. was and still is one of the most important, if not the most important figure in the civil rights movement. Why is that? He spread peace and gave speeches., but lots of people do that. How did the life of King affect Congress so greatly? One major aspect is his persistence. He never gave up. From city to city and march to march, he declared his dream. He stood out to America before action in Congress took place. Another factor is his death. Whenever someone is murdered, particularly an important figure to society, they are thought about and their life is considered. King was no exception. My assumption is that when Congress looked at Memphis they said,"Hey, this city appears peaceful. It isn't blown up. We haven't seen an overwhelming number of riots. Maybe King had an impact on Memphis. Maybe what he said is true." Perhaps Congress said that. I wouldn't be surprised. While several civil rights movements were declared before King's death, they weren't taken seriously until after. I believe Congress did some background research of its own and noticed the laws that were written and why they were written. America finally began to realize what was crucial for us to thrive, and what is crucial is not only freedom, but non-violence.