The Crazy Sixties--Assassinations for Sure

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was a young and very popular president. In addition to being the first Catholic president he was a major advocate for the Civil Rights movement. He was pushing for the Civil Rights Act to pass, before he was assassinated. The Act passed a year later in 1964. You can learn more about Kennedy's assassination and his work with Civil Rights, by checking out the videos on this page. You can also check out information on his work for Civil Rights at the JFK Library site.

MLK's Assassination

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April of 1968 while in Memphis Tennessee. His assassination was the beginning of the end of the Civil Rights Movement. Many people continued to push for more rights for African Americans after his death. Many more changed their approach and were filled with anger. The Black Panther party which was not afraid of violence became more popular and brought a different approach to trying to gain more Civil Rights. All in all, much had been accomplished in the 1960's including the end of the Jim Crow, the end of segregation in schools and the end of unfair voting restrictions such as poll taxes. You can learn more about MLK from National Geographic for Kids, here.

Robert F. Kennedy

JFK's brother was on the same track as his brother and was a promising presidential candidate in 1968 before being gunned down after a campaign speech. His assassination was the third major assassination of the 1960's here in America. Like his brother, Robert Kennedy was a big supporter of the Civil Rights movement and many people believe it is no coincidence that he was assassinated only two months after MLK.