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The King assassination riots, also known as the Holy Week Uprising, was a wave of civil disturbance which swept the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. They were the greatest wave of social unrest the United States experienced since the Civil War.〔(Peter B. Levy, ''Baltimore '68'', p. 6 )〕 Some of the biggest riots took place in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, and Kansas City. ==Inciting incident and riot== The immediate cause of the rioting was the assassination of Dr. King. Not only was King a beloved leader in the civil rights movement, but also a major advocate for nonviolence. He was a symbol of direct engagement with the political system (as opposed to the separatist idea of black nationalism). His death led some people to feel angry and disillusioned, as though now only violent resistance to white racism could be effective. The rioters were mostly black, but they were not all poor. Middle-class blacks joined in, wanting to demonstrate against systemic inequality more than they wanted to steal for their own benefit. Although the media called these events “race riots,” there were few confirmed acts of violence between blacks and whites. White businesses tended to be targeted, however, while public and community buildings such as schools and churches were largely spared.〔 Compared to the previous summer of rioting, the number of fatalities was much lower. This is largely attributed to new procedures instituted by the federal government not to fire on looters.〔(Peter B. Levy, ''Baltimore '68'', p. 9-10 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「King assassination riots」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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