Martin Luther King Jr assassinated on this day
- Apr 4, 2017
- 1 min read
On this spring day 49 years ago in 1968 Black Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated by a white sniper [James Earl Ray] in Memphis,Tennessee at the Lorraine Motel. Assassination precipitated a national crisis and rioting in more than one hundred cities. Forty-six persons were killed in major rebellions in Washington, Chicago and other cities. Twenty thousand federal troops and thirty-four thousand National Guardsmen were mobilized to quell disturbances. Memorial marches and rallies were held throughout the country. Many public school systems closed and the opening of the baseball season was postponed. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Sunday, April 6, a national day of mourning and ordered all U.S. flags on government buildings in all U.S. territories and possession to fly at half-mast.
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