Dr. Martin Luther King
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. James Earl Ray was arrested for the murder of Martin and was convicted to a sentence of 99 years in jail. On the previous day April 3rd Martin was headed to Memphis, Tennessee to deliver his speech known as “I’ve been to the mountaintop”. King was staying at the Lorraine Motel which now is a museum for visitors to view the room where Martin was staying. The single shot fired by James Earl shattered Martins jaw, broke his neck and severed his Jugular vein. Ray later withdrew his confession, claiming he was the scapegoat of a wider conspiracy and fought for a trail that he thought would clear his name. He escaped prison in 1977 only to be caught 3 days later and have a additional year added on to his previous sentence.
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“Many of us, grown man, were crying”, a male told the time magazine. In the weeks that followed Martins assassination Time readers responded with a flood of letters to the editor. Many people believed that Martin was killed because he was the African American uncomfortable conscience, martin was able to instill brotherhood in many men which united them. One specific woman Dorothy Saunders really caught my attention. She questioned why “when statesmen look to give aid” to the uncivilized and undeveloped countries of the world, why isn’t America on the top of the list. The question of why is someone who’s so intrigued in helping citizens get equal rights and opportunities should be taken away only in the mist of their mission to change the world we live