Convicted for armed robbery in 1960, James Earl Ray escaped from Missouri State Penitentiary on April 22, 1967. Ray’s hatred for the black population and support for Nazism fueled his drive to assassinate pacifistic leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. During the civil rights era, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s strong political and religious presence caused him to be a potential target as many denounced his promotion of equality amongst blacks and whites in America. Moreover, with the use of a Remington rifle, Ray shot King from a bathroom window of a hotel located across the street from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had a perfect view of King standing on the motel room balcony. On the eve of April 4, 1968, King was pronounced dead. Afterwards, Ray fled to Canada where he changed his identify and created a fake passport which would later be used to flee to Brussels, Belgium from a Scottish airport. However, Ray was caught at Heathrow Airport on June 8, 1968 and was deported back to America. James Earl Ray was convicted in March 1969 for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In court, Ray voluntarily pleaded guilty before Judge W. Preston Battle which reduced his sentence to 99 years in prison instead of the death penalty . As will become evident, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. resulted in the immediate outburst of riots, Robert Kennedy eulogizing King, the high attendance of King’s funeral service, and the implementation of the Fair Housing Act; the prosecution of James Earl Ray; and in the longer term, the creation of Martin Luther King National Holiday as well as the desire to reopen the case of James Earl Ray in 1997. In the immediate proceedings of Martin Luther King assassination... ... middle of paper ... ...chulke, Flip. He Had a Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1995. Scott King, Coretta. My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc, 1969. Sides, Hampton. Hellbound on His Trial: The Stalking of Martin Luther King Jr. And the International Hunt for His Assassin. New York: Doubleday, 2010. Sundquist, Eric J. King’s Dream. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. United States. HUD.gov. History of Fair Housing. Washington DC: Department of Housing and Urban Development. Accessed March 13, 2014, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/aboutfheo/history. Waldschmidt-Nelson, Britta. Dreams and Nightmares: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and The Struggle for Black Equality in America. Florida: Florida University Press, 2012.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for having a protest without a proper permit. On the exact day King was arrested, eight clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter called “A Call for Unity.” The letter called for termination of civil activities and demonstrations and designated King an “outsider” and saying that outsiders were the problems in Birmingham and not the blacks that are from there. On April 16 King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was his responds to his fellow clergymen. He wrote the letter as a means to convince the clergymen and the white moderate that the nonviolent demonstrations that had got him arrested, were a necessity and to enlighten them on why the segregation laws in the southern states needed to be changed. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade the clergymen and convince them in assisting him in putting an end to segregation laws of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lischer, Richard The Preacher King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the word that moved America Oxford University Press: 1995. Print
Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929, was well known for his nonviolent movement to bring justice and to an end to the segregation of the people in the United States back in the 1950s. With King being the leader of a peaceful protest, it failed to bring equally to the colored people. Martin Luther King, Jr. was labeled as an “outsider” who was “hatred and violence” and that his actions were “unwise and untimely” from the Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen (clergymen). In response, on the day of April 16, 1963, he wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to declare and defense his movement was not “unwise and untimely” at all. To analyze his points, King used the powerful literary devices of pathos- use of an emotional appeal.ethos-
Everyone that has been through the American school system within the past 20 years knows exactly who Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is, and exactly what he did to help shape the United States to what it is today. In the beginning of the book, Martin Luther King Jr. Apostle of Militant Nonviolence, by James A. Colaiaco, he states that “this book is not a biography of King, [but] a study of King’s contribution to the black freedom struggle through an analysis and assessment of his nonviolent protest campaigns” (2). Colaiaco discusses the successful protests, rallies, and marches that King put together. . Many students generally only learn of Dr. King’s success, and rarely ever of his failures, but Colaiaco shows of the failures of Dr. King once he started moving farther North.
This book was intriguing, fascinating, and balanced with a unique writing style. It’s a book that highlights every important aspect in Kings life, especially his work with the ministry, his vision of racial progress, and the important person he became. After reading this book I have come to the conclusion that the purpose for writing this biography was to convey the truth. To tell the truth of what actually happened in MLKs life from a fair point of view. From someone who would not judge or show bias in their writing toward King.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of a peaceful movement to end segregation in the United States this mission led him in 1963 to Birmingham, Alabama where officials and leaders in the community actively fought against desegregation. While performing sit-ins, marches and other nonviolent protests, King was imprisoned by authorities for violating the strict segregation laws. While imprisoned King wrote a letter entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, in which he expresses his disappointment in the clergy, officials, and people of Birmingham. This letter employed pathos to argue that the leaders and ‘heroes’ in Birmingham during the struggle were at fault or went against their beliefs.
African Americans were becoming dissatisfied with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach to the Civil Rights Movement. Some African Americans argue “that turning the cheek” was no longer an option for them. Others believed that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a dreamer and a farce and sleeping with the archenemy. The FBI had wage a campaign against King;” the FBI went so far as to send King a tape recording of one of his supposed tryst and a letter encouraging him to take his own life” (Martin Luther King, Jr We Remember (Wolfson, A & Moynihan, D.P. (2003). Page
"Martin Luther King Jr." - Acceptance Speech. The Novel Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
Kirk, J. (2007). Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement: controversies and debates. Basingstoke New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
1. King, Martin Luther Jr. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Warner Books, 1998
"Lewis, John (1940-)" Martin Luther King JR. And the Global Freedom Struggle. Stanford University, Web. Feb.-Mar. 2014.
To clarify the fact James Earl Ray is not an assassin one must look toward his reputation. James Earl Ray was born into a poor family and was the first of nine children. Being that some of his childhood was during the depression he probably was the type to fight for his own well being. In January of 1946 Ray joined the army. (Clarke 243) While in the army Ray sold cigarettes, drank, fought, and he was eventually discharged. From 1949-1959 Ray did many robberies and when, in 1959, he was finally caught he was sentenced to 20 years in prison (Clarke 244) Ray Later attempted escape in 1960, in 1966, and was successful on April 23rd, 1967. (Clarke 245) Ray, during this time never showed any serious acts of threatening or hurting anyone. (Clarke 244) So why would Ray suddenly turn into assassin and kill someone who has a slim effect on him?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Mr. King was a man of honor and respect even in the troubling situations of serving jail time. People who were supposed to support him questioned his actions, Dr. King still stood by what he believed in. In Birmingham, Alabama Dr. King hoped that the white religious leaders will come to his aid but instead found reluctance and opposition. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. refutes his critics claims through the use of passionate tones, metaphors, and allusions.
...s left behind in the room Ray rented, the prints were matched to James Earl Ray. He was a fugitive on the run from the Missouri State Penitentiary. Finally, after over a month of Ray being on the run and authorities having challenges locating him, he was captured and placed in custody on June 8, 1968. Ray was arrested in Heathrow Airport in London, apparently on his way to Rhodesia. On March 10, 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was given a sentence of 99 years in prison.
Whenever people discuss race relations today and the effect of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, they remember the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was and continues to be one of the most i...