5-1 Discussion: Contingency of Dr.
King
The death of Dr. King Jr. had a significant impact on the growth of the
Civil Rights Movement because his supporters immediately turned to
rioting and violence, particularly in cities like Chicago and Kansas City.
Dr. Kings was a proponent of peaceful protest, so if he hadn't been
killed, perhaps there wouldn't have been as much violence, which would
have sped up his efforts to end racial segregation.
After Dr. King's death, President Johnson was motivated to work on
launching the Fair Housing initiative. After realizing the uproar Dr. Kings'
death had caused, the President acted quickly to implement the Fair
Housing Act. Because the government would not have felt the need to
end racial discrimination if Dr. Kings had not been killed, I believe the
rioting and violence also helped the movement.
