Rafael Trujillo's Assassination

The 1960’s was a period of inequality and controversy, coined as the “Golden Era of Assassinations”. On record, there were six political assassinations: former dictator of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo, the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist, Malcolm X, the founder of the American Nazi Party, George Lincoln Rockwell, African-American Baptist minister and leader of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and last but not least, former senator of New York and brother of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy.
Starting with the former dictator of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo, nicknamed Generalissimo, became dictator in 1930 through political maneuvering and torture. His dictatorship is considered one of the bloodiest in American history. During his campaign, he formed a secret police task force to murder supporters of the competing parties. Those who dared to oppose him were imprisoned, tortured and murdered. Their bodies often disappeared, rumoured to have been fed to the sharks (BBC.com, “‘I shot

the cruellest dictator in the Americas’”). Soon after Trujillo’s first term, the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo, was destroyed by hurricane San Zenon, which caused damage worth $50 million. He used this natural disaster to impose martial law on all citizens (Biography.com, “Rafael Trujillo”). He also imposed "emergency taxes" and even seized the bank accounts of his opposition (Biography.com, “Rafael Trujillo”). Trujillo then spent six years renovating the city and building monuments in his honor. He even renamed the capital “Ciudad Trujillo”.
Throughout Trujillo’s reign, he used his power for his own personal gain. He took control of all major industries and financial corporations. He also cleared out peasant communities to make room for his sugar plantation. Toward the end of his life, he faced growing opposition from Dominican citizens as well as foreign pressure to relax his rule. He also started losing military support from the army, with the CIA maneuvering to have him removed from power (Biography.com, “Rafael Trujillo”). Rafael was ambushed and gunned down on May 30th, 1961 by General Antonio Imbert and seven others. It was late evening when Trujillo was shot dead in a gun battle on the road that leads from the capital to San Cristobal, where the dictator kept a young mistress (BBC.com, “‘I shot the cruellest dictator in the Americas’”).
One of the most infamous assassinations in the history of America was the 35th president, John “F” Fitzgerald Kennedy. While he isn’t considered one of the best presidents, he had a phenomenal talent for crisis management. During his presidency, Kennedy oversaw the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the first American man on the moon, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the infamous Birmingham Church Bombing, and the signing of the nuclear test ban all before his life was ended. Kennedy’s assassination shocked the nation. Children were released from school and people left their jobs early. America felt a sense of loss that hadn’t been felt since April 1865, Lincoln’s assassination.
On November 22nd, 1963 while traveling in a motorcade in Texas, John F. Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald was never tried for his crime, however, because he was shot dead two days later (Miller Center “John F. Kennedy - Key Events”).
The outspoken public voice of Malcolm Little, known to most by his alias, Malcolm X, also came to and end in the 1960’s. He was a minister, human rights activist, and prominent black nationalist who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and 1960s (Biography.com “Malcolm X”). On February 21st, 1965, Malcolm X arrived at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City to give a speech. He began his speech with the traditional Muslim greeting “As-salaam alaikum” which translates to “peace unto you”. Before he could continue, however, a man with a sawed-off shotgun and two co-conspirators with handguns opened fire, striking him multiple times in the chest, leg, fingers, and chin, causing him to topple over backwards. Emergency measures failed to revive him, and within minutes he was dead at age 39 (Greenspan “7 Things You May Not Know About Malcolm X).
George Lincoln Rockwell, the media-savvy, pipe-smoking founder of the American Nazi Party, was blatantly racist, homophobic and antisemitic. Just 17 years after the US and its allies had defeated Nazi Germany, he had tried to hold a rally celebrating Hitler’s birthday in New York (Beckett “George Lincoln Rockwell, father of American Nazis, still in vogue for some”). George hung swastikas on the mall and picketed the marches of MLK. He requested that blacks were to be sent back to Africa and that Jews should be thrown into gas chambers. George L. Rockwell was the son that Hitler never had.
For years, George always claimed that he had enemies stalking him. This was proven false on August 25th, 1967. He was headed to the laundromat when he had come to realize he had forgotten the bleach. On the way back to the Nazi HQ, two shots rang out. Rockwell died amid a flurry of Ivory Snow soap flakes (Beckett “George Lincoln Rockwell, father of American Nazis, still in vogue for some”). Police had arrested the gunman minutes later. He was identified as John Patler: Rockwell’s neo-Nazi protege.
The assassination of the civil rights leader and icon, Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr., sent shockwaves through the nation. King had lead the civil rights movement since the mid-1950s. He used nonviolent protest and compassionate ways to pave the way for equality in America. His assassination led to an outpouring of anger among black Americans, as well as a period of national mourning that helped speed the way for an equal housing bill that would be the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era (History.com staff “Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination”). On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King was deprived the right of continuing to provide his supporters with his motivating leadership skills. He was killed by a single shot while standing on the balcony of his second floor hotel room. The world was shocked by yet another senseless act of

violence.
Last but not least, civil rights advocate, U.S. attorney general, and former senator of New York, Robert F. Kennedy. He fought organized crime and was also a key supporter of the civil rights movement. Not only was he committed to the advancement of human rights in America, he was also committed to those same advancements abroad. He had a very promising presidency ahead of him. On June 5th, Robert F. Kennedy was shot several times after his victory speech at the California Democratic Primary, by 22-year-old Sirhan Sirhan. It was not until a day later, lost his life (June 6th, 1968).
Each one of these people made an impact on both America and the civil rights movement. The loss of every individual shined a bright light on the citizens of America and the values that they stand for. For example, the death of MLK, along with his actions, helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which ended the legal separation of people by race. Although, some of these assassinations were unnecessary tragedies, they helped to push America closer to equality and justice for all.