Today in History—April 4: A Nation Mourns Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, as he was preparing to leave for dinner. King, the most prominent leader of the American civil rights movement, was standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel when he was struck by a rifle shot. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

King had risen to prominence through his leadership of the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, and he’d become the most visible advocate of nonviolent protest against racial segregation and injustice. As president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he helped organize campaigns across the South and played a central role in such events as the 1963 March on Washington—where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. King’s efforts contributed to landmark legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

He had traveled to Memphis to support a strike by sanitation workers protesting unsafe conditions and seeking fair wages and union recognition.

News of his assassination spread rapidly, prompting an outpouring of grief, as well as unrest. In the days that followed, protests and riots erupted in more than 100 cities across the United States, reflecting both mourning and frustration.

King’s death at age 39 marked a turning point in the civil rights era. For many, it seemed to signal the end of the hope that nonviolent means could bring about a better world for African Americans. But others carried forward his work in the years that followed. The ideas he gave voice to did not fade.

Remembered as a global symbol of nonviolent resistance, King continues to inspire movements for justice and equality.