Will give brainlest The text gives reasons why people are both for and against affirmative action. Is affirmative action a good idea? Why or why not? Use details from the text to support your answer.

King Expands His Dream

Martin Luther King understood the anger and frustration of many urban African Americans whose lives had changed little despite the civil rights reforms of the 1960s. However, he disagreed with the call for “black power” and sought a nonviolent alternative to combat economic injustice.

Poor People's Campaign members march through Atlanta carrying a large banner.
Poor People's Campaign members march through Atlanta on May 10, 1968, to promote economic justice. Draw Conclusions How did the goal of this march differ from previous civil rights demonstrations?

After spending about a year in Chicago’s slums to protest conditions there, King made plans for a massive “Poor People’s Campaign.” The campaign’s goal was to broaden civil rights' goals to address economic inequality in America.

King's Assassination: A Turning Point
As part of this effort, King journeyed to Memphis, Tennessee, in early April 1968. There, he offered his assistance to sanitation workers who were striking for better wages and working conditions.

On April 3, King addressed his followers. He referred to threats that had been made against his life. “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life,” King declared. “But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.”

The following day, as King stood on the balcony outside his motel room, he was struck by a shot from a high-powered rifle. He died at a hospital shortly afterward, at the age of 39. James Earl Ray, a white ex-convict, was later charged with King’s murder.

Civil rights activists at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis point toward the sniper's position moments after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot by an assassin.
Civil rights activists at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis point toward the sniper's position moments after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot by an assassin.

King’s assassination marked an important turning point. His efforts had increased minority participation in the political process and encouraged racial integration. Yet much racist hostility persisted. For example, Lester Maddox, a restaurant owner in Atlanta, Georgia, gained national attention when he closed his business rather than comply with 1964 Civil Rights Act that banned discrimination against African Americans. Hoping to maintain the status quo, Maddox then ran for and was elected governor of Georgia. After King's assassination, Governor Maddox would not even allow the civil rights leader's body to lie in state in the Georgia state capitol building.

The protests for black freedom and racial equality that began in the mid-1950s crested in the late 1960s around the time of King’s death. By then, the civil rights movement had made significant gains. Yet the impact of King's legacy would continue to grow. His messages of political equality and economic opportunity for all continue to define political discourse to this day.

Robert F. Kennedy Responds
Robert F. Kennedy was campaigning for the presidency in Indianapolis when he heard of King’s death. RFK stopped his campaign speech to give the audience the sad news. He reminded them that he had lost his own brother to an assassin’s bullet. Kennedy asked those assembled to honor King’s memory by replacing their anger and desire for revenge “with an effort to understand with compassion and love.” Despite Kennedy’s plea, riots broke out in hundreds of cities after King’s assassination. Two months later, Robert Kennedy’s life, too, was cut short by an assassin.

CHECK UNDERSTANDING Why did King go to Memphis in 1968?