Martin Luther King’s Assassination
On Thursday, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated. He was outside standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King was rushed to the hospital and died shortly after his arrival.
Martin Luther King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee on April 3, 1968, so he could prepare for a march that he was hosting. This march was scheduled to be held on that Monday. He planned this because he wanted to protest the striking of Memphis sanitation workers.
His assassin was named James Earl Ray. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. James Earl Ray escaped prison from June 10, 1977, to June 13, 1977.
The night before his death, he gave a speech foreshadowing his death. In 1958, he was almost assassinated but escaped and was protected.
Robert Francis Kennedy's Assassination
Robert Francis Kennedy was assassinated on June 5th, 1968. This happened shortly after midnight in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles California. He was officially pronounced dead on June 6th, 1968.
His assassin was a 24-year-old Palestinian man that was named Sirhan Sirhan. He did this because Robert Francis Kennedy claimed victory in California's pivotal Democratic presidential primary. During the assassination, he also injured 5 other innocent humans.
Robert Francis Kennedy was seen as an extremely consolidating candidate capable of bringing back together a very divided country. Sirhan Sirhan was the last person in the world who wanted that.
In 2021, Sirhan Sirhan was ready for his parole hearing on August 27th. His lawyer no longer sees him as a risk, but the judge does not grant him parole.
The Two Men
These two men were extremely important to the United States of America. They both wanted to make the world a better place. Both of their deaths were extreme tragedies. They both traveled and gave speeches about America and race.
Their assassinations occurred almost exactly 2 months apart from one another. Some thought this was a coincidence. Do you think the two men worked together and planned their assassinations together?
When these two men died, the fight to end racial discrimination did not end and their legacy lived on.
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