On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King spoke out against the
Vietnam War in his speech “Beyond Vietnam” in a church in New York City. King stated that “my conscience
leaves me no other choice” (King, “Beyond Vietnam), explaining that he could
not speak out against violence against people in America without condemning the
violence happening elsewhere. In his speech, King linked the fighting in the
war to civil rights issues related to African Americans. He said that our
nation can spend money on the war in Vietnam but would not use any to protect
the rights of African American people in America. He spoke out against militarism and warned that
it could lead to national disaster saying "we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful
corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion,
might without morality, and strength without sight"(King, "Beyond Vietnam").King proposed a ceasefire in his five-point
outline for ending the war.
The general
reaction to King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech was almost completely negative. A total
of one hundred and sixty-eight newspapers, including the New York Times and the
Washington Post, published articles criticizing his speech. He was also disinvited
to the White House by then president, Lyndon B Johnson. Even the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) released a statement going against King’s speech,
saying it wrongly linked two separate issues. The speech was a factor in his
later assassination, which occurred exactly one year after he gave this
particular speech.
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| MLK giving his "Beyond Vietnam" speech in Riverside Church |
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What a powerful speech. It was a shame that it would end up being a reason for his assassination, but at least he died having spoken his mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree with kyle. this is such a powerful speech. its so upsetting that he was assassinated because of him speaking his opinions. everyone should be allowed to freely say how they feel and not have to worry about being killed because of it.
ReplyDeleteI never knew about this speech but after reading a summary about it, I can completely understand why MLK would be angry and the direction he is coming from and the fact that this was a factor in his assasination later, only proves his point more, in my opinion.
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