martin luther king jr vietnam war speech transcript

Mr. SMILEY: Yeah. Life magazine called the speech "demagogic slander that sounded like a script for Radio Hanoi",[9] and The Washington Post declared that King had "diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, his people. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. This oft misunderstood and misinterpreted conceptso readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly forcehas now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. It is a sad fact that, because of comfort, complacency, a morbid fear of communism, and our proneness to adjust to injustice, the Western nations that initiated so much of the revolutionary spirit of the modern world have now become the arch anti-revolutionaries. A few other Americans know, of course, the "Mountaintop" speech given the night before he's assassinated in Memphis. On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech in New York City at Riverside Church on the occasion of his becoming co-chairperson of Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam (subsequently renamed Clergy and Laity Concerned ). Take immediate steps to prevent other battlegrounds in Southeast Asia by curtailing our military buildup in Thailand and our interference in Laos. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. 0000012541 00000 n But they didn't stay for the speech in its entirety. Then we must make what reparations we can for the damage we have done. So even McNamara eventually comes around to that point. Martin Luther King Jr. announced his strong opposition to the war in Vietnam, the media attacked him for straying outside of his civil rights mandate. And King was prescient on this. This is the message of the great Buddhist leaders of Vietnam. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. At the time, civil rights leaders publicly condemned him for it. Martin Luther King's Acceptance Speech, on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, 10 December 1964 Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: 0000001645 00000 n We're talking with Tavis Smiley. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over. And his argument, basically, was that I cannot, as a practitioner and a true believer in nonviolence, espouse that nonviolent philosophy in our movement and then somehow sit idly by when I see violence being engaged around the world. capitalism, and the Vietnam War. This is Howard, which you know me. They see the children selling their sisters to our soldiers, soliciting for their mothers. Of course, he's assassinated in Memphis a year to the day later after giving this speech. We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. Dr. Less than two weeks after leading his first Vietnam demonstration, on 4 April 1967, King made his best known and most comprehensive statement against the war. Perhaps the more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. If we continue, there will be no doubt in my mind and in the mind of the world that we have no honorable intentions in Vietnam. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now. HT0WJ3 O$L Procrastination is still the thief of time. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam" was a powerful and angry speech that raged against the war. The image of America will never again be the image of revolution, freedom and democracy, but the image of violence and militarism.. So this was a huge, huge speech that got Martin King in more trouble than anything he had ever said or done. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. Mr. SMILEY: We - let me just tell you this. 0000030467 00000 n In his last Sunday sermon, delivered at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on 31 March 1968, King said that he was convinced that [Vietnam] is one of the most unjust wars that has ever been fought in the history of the world (King, Remaining Awake, 219). Martin Luther King Jr. was a social activist that led the Civil Rights Movement, and other movements until his assassination in 1968. And it was on that occasion that he - when he saw those pictures, said, I have to speak out about this. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave a speech that may have helped put a target on . There are people who have come to see the moral imperative of equality, but who cannot yet see the moral imperative of world brotherhood. Fifty-years ago in April 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered one of his most memorable, if not controversial sermons, at Riverside Church just steps away from the Columbia University campus. The major speech at Riverside Church in New York City, followed several interviews[2] and several other public speeches in which King came out against the Vietnam War and the policies that created it. They were led by Ho Chi Minh. In so many words, powerful interests told him: "Mind your own business.". 0000003503 00000 n Seeking to reduce the potential backlash by framing his speech within the context of religious objection to war, King addressed a crowd of 3,000 people at Riverside Church in New York City. 5. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within ones own bosom and in the surrounding world. As we counsel young men concerning military service we must clarify for them our nations role in Vietnam and challenge them with the alternative of conscientious objection. "MLK: A Call to Conscience" premieres on PBS tomorrow night. Mr. SMILEY: And therein lies the rub. 0000011068 00000 n "[9] He stated that North Vietnam "did not begin to send in any large number of supplies or men until American forces had arrived in the tens of thousands", and accused the U.S. of having killed a million Vietnamese, "mostly children. Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest. I guess the question now is whether or not Afghanistan is a war of necessity or a war of choice. This is an excellent Common Core-aligned primary source from Martin Luther King speaking about his stance on the Vietnam War. But I'm hoping that people will get a chance, once they see the speech, they'll be moved to go read the speech and to make comparisons, Neal. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is known for being one of the greatest orators of the twentieth century, and perhaps in all of American history. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their governments policy, especially in time of war. Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investment. [19][20], In a 1952 letter to Coretta Scott, he said: "I imagine you already know that I am much more socialistic in my economic theory than capitalistic"[21] In one speech, he stated that "something is wrong with capitalism" and claimed, "There must be a better distribution of wealth, and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. 0000007161 00000 n My third reason moves to an even deeper level of awareness, for it grows out of my experience in the ghettoes of the North over the last three years especially the last three summers. Mr. SMILEY: Yeah, Walt, I thank you for sharing that story as well, for being courageous to tell it, number one. When the Rev. Therefore, communism is a judgment against our failure to make democracy real and follow through on the revolutions we initiated. Even though they quoted the American Declaration of Independence in their own document of freedom, we refused to recognize them. PBS talk show. I've always argue that Dr. King is the greatest American we've ever produced. A call for equality and freedom, it became one of the defining moments of the civil rights movement and one of the most iconic speeches in American history. Martin Luther King Jr. was deeply troubled by the Vietnam War for years, but the "Beyond Vietnam" speech was his first major policy statement on the issue. The True Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Free Press. ) fuG {*pZ//e,QTx)%TuS%@^2j/?Nf7nx!]OvqJG=_oD3?VUMs+tM95X )G~1b'g])!`]:|OwHh-J6ZHg{Z9N3b!\#9"zhT\]sp2WtTal =YvkO8yu 6^,n,v$+u$|^1wUF}GGc=p!e#F\]xx6l~NTYSmc /ut^*WTPO Cp =-FQW.]y#F6NsQ2Qzqz=|v94+JC?w4,|yi4T0eIaaeD2-Y1 0000003199 00000 n "The press is being stacked against me", King said,[13] Sorry, I'm a little bit emotional here. Perhaps only his sense of humor and of irony can save him when he hears the most powerful nation of the world speaking of aggression as it drops thousands of bombs on a poor weak nation more than eight thousand miles away from its shores. Mr. SMILEY: Yeah. That's my own personal assessment. Because, to your point now, one, I want people to go online and read the speech so you can see the text for yourself. When he saw those pictures, there's a very famous picture, Neal, that we all know of a Vietnamese girl running naked in the streets who had just been, you know, had been victimized as had her village by these napalm attacks. The message directly challenged the president who'd taken great political risks to support civil rights legislation and also challenged many of his colleagues in the movement who've called it a tactical mistake. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. (AFP via Getty Images) "Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? I am pleased to say that this is the path now being chosen by more than seventy students at my own alma mater, Morehouse College, and I recommend it to all who find the American course in Vietnam a dishonorable and unjust one. After the French were defeated it looked as if independence and land reform would come again through the Geneva agreements. This kind of positive revolution of values is our best defense against communism. [29], Excerpts from this speech are used in the songs "Together" and "Spirit" by Nordic Giants. Speeches, writings, movements, and protests, Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War, Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. In his 1967 speech on the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King, Jr. employs figurative language and syntactical elements to construct his argument against the hypocrisy and cruelty of American involvement in the war. "[14] In the light of such tragic misunderstandings, I deem it of signal importance to try to state clearly, and I trust concisely, why I believe that the path from Dexter Avenue Baptist Church the church in Montgomery, Alabama, where I began my pastorate leads clearly to this sanctuary tonight. All Rights Reserved. (Scott) King,My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr., 1969. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition. 0000009168 00000 n trailer << /Size 93 /Info 36 0 R /Root 40 0 R /Prev 148547 /ID[<8f2b4dd6f2f061944c7ff807c44fcc1f><651247ae294a1a197a948cb3bc3f8412>] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 40 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 38 0 R /Metadata 37 0 R /Threads 41 0 R /Names 43 0 R /OpenAction [ 44 0 R /XYZ null null null ] /PageMode /UseNone /PageLabels 35 0 R >> endobj 41 0 obj [ 42 0 R ] endobj 42 0 obj << /I << /Title (A)>> /F 45 0 R >> endobj 43 0 obj << /Dests 33 0 R >> endobj 91 0 obj << /S 76 /E 200 /L 216 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 92 0 R >> stream CONAN: And one thing that I was unaware of was the timing of the speech in that he had wanted to say something along these lines. 0000002516 00000 n Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. I feel that Martin Luther King and Muhammad Ali are two of the, you know, greatest Americans we've ever had. Hundreds of folks listened outside on loudspeakers. Check your local listings. That's what I feel. Moreover I would encourage all ministers of draft age to give up their ministerial exemptions and seek status as conscientious objectors. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Vietnam War "The greatest irony and tragedy of all is that our nation, which initiated so much of the revolutionary spirit of the modern world, is now cast in the. 39 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 44 /H [ 1739 286 ] /L 149455 /E 105346 /N 8 /T 148557 >> endobj xref 39 54 0000000016 00000 n There is something seductively tempting about stopping there and sending us all off on what in some circles has become a popular crusade against the war in Vietnam. 0000002784 00000 n Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? n/a martin luther king jr. (born michael king january 15, 1929 april 1968) was an american baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in . The New York Times calls it wasteful and self-defeating. King Scores Poverty Budget, New York Times, 16 December 1966. They must weep as the bulldozers roar through their areas preparing to destroy the precious trees. But for those who presently choose but one, I would hope they will finally come to see the moral roots common to both. Now there is little left to build onsave bitterness. They brought in extra chairs. Opposes Vietnam War, New York Times, 11 November 1965. 0000047501 00000 n For nine years following 1945 we denied the people of Vietnam the right of independence. Set a date that we will remove all foreign troops from Vietnam in accordance with the 1954 Geneva agreement. As we all know, Neal, before he died, Robert McNamara, the Defense secretary that had Walt and others over in Vietnam, before he died, of course, announced that he was wrong. A Baptist minister and founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King had led the civil rights movement since the mid-1950s, using a combination of impassioned speeches. CONAN: And the place - choice of place is very interesting too. 0000013330 00000 n Dr. Benjamin Spock (2nd-L), Martin Luther King, Jr. (C), Father Frederick Reed and Cleveland Robinson lead a huge pacifist rally protesting U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war, Mar. 0000010534 00000 n Sermons and speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. "Vincent Harding dies at 82; historian wrote controversial King speech", "Vincent Harding, author of Martin Luther King Jr.'s antiwar speech, dies", "The Rev.

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