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Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a black man sent to prison for burglary in his early life and eventually joined the Nation of Islam, an Islamic black nationalist movement. He was a black power leader and had changed his name from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X to represent his oppressed ancestors. Eventually, he left the Nation of Islam movement, spoke against it, and was killed by its members in 1965. -
The Change Towards Economic Rights
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. decides to move to an inner city Chicago slum to show how bad they are for African Americans. He also marched through an all-white suburb, but angry white counter protesters came along and not much was accomplished. -
The Watts Riots occur in Los Angeles
The Watts Riots were a series of riots that took place in the Watts area of Los Angeles shortly after Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. They rioted because of what they thought was police brutality. They committed arson, looted, and fought the police which led to 43 deaths, over 1000 wounded, and over 200 million dollars in property damage. -
The Black Power Movement
The black power movement was a movement towards more aggressive forms of protest against perceived racism. It was appealing to young African Americans who saw that MLK's protests were less effective and wanted a change. It was led by Robert F. Williams and Malcolm X. -
The Kerner Commission
President Johnson creates the Kerner Commission to study the causes of the riots, led by Governor Otto Kerner. They said the riots were caused by racism and recommended rebuilding inner city life and jobs, but this never happened. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Is Assassinated
In March 1968, MLK went to Memphis, Tennessee to advocate for African American sanitation workers. On April 3rd, the night before his assassination, he made his famous Mountaintop speech saying "I’ve been to the mountaintop. . . . I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land." The next day, on April 4, he was shot from his balcony by James Earl Ray and killed. Congress did pass the Civil Rights Act of 1968 afterwards, however.
