This Day in History

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated

Time Periods: 1961

Themes: African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Organizing

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke before 13,000 people at Mason Temple on March 18. He pledged to return to Memphis on March 22 to lead a march that was postponed because of a near record snowfall. The protest was rescheduled for March 28.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while in Memphis to support the striking sanitation workers.

This was one year to the day after his speech at Riverside Church in New York against the U.S. war in Vietnam.

Here are resources for teaching about the connection Dr. King and many others in the Civil Rights Movement made to economic justice and peace.

Related Resources

Teaching Activities (Free)

A Revolution of Values

Teaching Activity. By Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 3 pages.
Text of speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Vietnam War, followed by three teaching ideas.

Teaching Activities (Free)

Hidden in Plain Sight: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Radical Vision

Teaching Activity. By Craig Gordon, Urban Dreams, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project. 2003, updated in 2017.
Lesson to introduce students to the speeches and work of Dr. King beyond “I have a dream.”

Teaching Activities (Free)

‘We Had Set Ourselves Free’: Lessons on the Civil Rights Movement

Teaching Activity. By Doug Sherman. Rethinking Schools. 4 pages.
The author describes how he uses biographies and film to introduce students to the role of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement beyond the familiar heroes. He emphasizes the role and experiences of young people in the Movement.