Special Features
- Timeline: The 1968 Hunt for Martin Luther King's Killer
- Bonus Video: Interview with Hampton Sides
- Photo Gallery: The Manhunt for James Earl Ray
- Preview: Roads to Memphis Preview
- Further Reading: Related Books and Websites
On April 4, 1968, escaped convict James Earl Ray shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King. This is the fateful narrative of the killer and his prey, set against the seething, turbulent forces in American society at that time.
My American Experience
Share Your Story
Did you ever see Dr. King speak? Do you remember learning of his assassination? What impact have his life and teachings had on you?
Series Blog
Sides: Motivations of a Political Assassin
Author Hampton Sides, a frequent AMERICAN EXPERIENCE consultant and author of Hellhound on his Trail, on which our 2010 film Roads to Memphis was based, draws a parallel between the Arizona shooter Jared Loughner and the infamous MLK assassin James Earl Ray in a recent Newsweek article. "Though he spent his criminal career striving for anonymity, he desperately wanted the world to know he existed," wrote Sides. "Like a certain deranged young man in Tucson last week, Ray imagined the best way to leave his mark was the gun down someone young, eloquent, and charismatic."
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE has an exclusive interview with Hampton Sides talking about his memories of the MLK assassination and the character of James Earl Ray and his motivations for killing Dr. King.
Geronimo
The Chiricahua Apache medicine man and warrior who refused to accept white man's 'civilization.' Part of The Wild West collection.
Film Details
The Murder of Emmett Till
The acquittal of the murderers of Chicago teen Emmett Till mobilized the civil rights movement.
Film Details
John Brown's Holy War
Murderer, martyr, hero - John Brown's violent crusade against slavery would divide the nation and spark the Civil War.
Film Details
Eyes on the Prize
This acclaimed 14-hour series covers all of the major events of the civil rights movement from 1954-1985, tracing African Americans' struggle for equality and justice.
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Midnight Ramble
The little-known story of a black independent film industry that produced nearly 500 feature films for African American audiences.
Film Details
Simple Justice
The legal efforts by a team of African American lawyers to eradicate segregation ultimately led to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
Film Details
Stonewall Uprising
In 1969, homosexuality was illegal in almost every state... but that was about to change. The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement.
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Freedom Riders
A courageous band of civil rights activists called Freedom Riders who in 1961 challenged segregation in the American South.
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