The Death of Martin Luther King Target: To examine the issues surrounding the assassination of Martin Luther King
Starter
• Martin Luther King took direct action by organising boycotts of public transport like the buses. • They stopped using the buses until they were allowed to sit where they liked... • This worked well as the bus companies lost LOTS of money!!!
• He also organised lots of demonstrations and peace marches and was joined by millions of black and white people from across America and made many important speeches.
•Despite being stabbed, arrested and having his house bombed Dr. King knew that God’s love was always in him. •This made him determined to carry on fighting for equal rights.
• Listen to the speech. • At the end you will have 1 minute to write down how it made you feel. • How did you think it made the people listening to it feel? Both black and white. Starter
The ‘I have a dream speech’
1968 – A defining year. • Watch the following clips and record notes on: YouTube - Riots of 1968 Pt 1 What war was America involved in during 1968? YouTube - Race Riots of 1968 Pt 2 Why did Martin Luther King go to Memphis in April 1968? What was Martin Luther King planning to do in the Summer? What was Martin Luther King’s last speech called? (3 April)
• Read Page 17,18 and 19. • YouTube - 1968 Riots in Washington D.C.
CBS News Broadcast 4 April 1968 YouTube - 1968 King Assassination Report (CBS News) Use your lyric sheet with the following track… YouTube - House Burning Down by. Jimi Hendrix Underline any words…. Describing the events of 5 April 1968…. Pleading for peace…. Demonstration How would Martin Luther King have responded to the LA riots of 1968 if he had been alive?
Demonstration • You must complete a newspaper report on the assassination of Martin Luther King. You will have two full lessons to do this. • You must include the following: • • • • •
Newspaper Title Newspaper Headline A photo of King just after he had been shot A Biography of his life including his achievements with photos. A wanted poster for James Earl Ray
• • • • •
In the story, you must: Explain why Martin was in Memphis. Where Martin was staying. How he was killed. Who killed him and why.