Rodney King Responds to Los Angeles Riot
Following the April 29, 1992, verdict in which four white Los Angeles Police Department officers were acquitted of charges in the beating of black motorist Rodney King, riots broke out across Los Angeles. On May 1, 1992, King pleads with citizens to stop the violence and "get along."
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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Rodney King Responds to Los Angeles Riot
Rodney King Responds to Los Angeles RiotAudio Clip (0:22)
Audio Clip (0:22)
Following the April 29, 1992, verdict in which four white Los Angeles Police Department officers were acquitted of charges in the beating of black motorist Rodney King, riots broke out across Los Angeles. On May 1, 1992, King pleads with citizens to stop the violence and "get along."
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Bush on Los Angeles Riots
Bush on Los Angeles RiotsAudio Clip (1:40)
Audio Clip (1:40)
On April 29, 1992, shortly after four white LAPD officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King, rioting broke out in Los Angeles. On May 1, President George H. W. Bush delivers a nationally broadcast response to the unrest, which lasted more than a week.
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Eisenhower Intervenes in Little Rock Crisis
Eisenhower Intervenes in Little Rock CrisisAudio Clip (2:10)
Audio Clip (2:10)
President Dwight D. Eisenhower is forced to take action when nine African-American students are prevented from entering Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In a broadcast to the nation on September 24, 1957, the president explains his decision to order Federal troops to Little Rock to ensure that the students are allowed access to the school, as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
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Stokely Carmichael on Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Stokely Carmichael on Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.Audio Clip (2:42)
Audio Clip (2:42)
On April 5, 1968, in a press conference held the day after the slaying of Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael predicts the outbreak of more violence across the nation in retaliation for "white America's biggest mistake."
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Brown v. Board of Education Ruling
Brown v. Board of Education RulingAudio Clip (1:02)
Audio Clip (1:02)
On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling against the "separate but equal" mandate and demanded desegregation of schools. Outside the courtroom, the attorneys who argued the Brown v. Board of Education case, James Nabrit Jr., Thurgood Marshall and George Hayes, give a press conference.
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Adam Clayton Powell Rallies Congregation
Adam Clayton Powell Rallies CongregationAudio Clip (3:54)
Audio Clip (3:54)
In a 1967 sermon, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., pastor and congressman from Harlem, New York City, reaches out to the downtrodden and depressed with his "keep the faith, baby" slogan.
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Booker T. Washington on Race Relations
Booker T. Washington on Race RelationsAudio Clip (3:28)
Audio Clip (3:28)
On September 18, 1895, at the Atlanta Exposition, Booker T. Washington rises to national fame when he delivers what came to be known as his “Atlanta Compromise” speech, in which he advocates for the races to work together while remaining separate socially.
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NAACP's Walter White Decries Racial Inequality
NAACP's Walter White Decries Racial InequalityAudio Clip (2:28)
Audio Clip (2:28)
On June 29, 1947, at the closing session of the 38th annual conference for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Walter F. White, the organization’s executive secretary, warns that despite progress made in civil rights, true equality can’t be achieved with a "separate but equal" mandate.
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John F. Kennedy on Desegregation at Ole Miss
John F. Kennedy on Desegregation at Ole MissAudio Clip (3:18)
Audio Clip (3:18)
When Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett refused to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling demanding desegregation at the University of Mississippi and the admittance of James Meredith, President John F. Kennedy was forced to intervene. In his address to the nation on September 30, 1962, Kennedy explains his decision to federalize the state national guard in order to maintain law and order while Meredith registers at the college.
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John F. Kennedy Appeals to Mississippi Governor
John F. Kennedy Appeals to Mississippi GovernorAudio Clip (3:42)
Audio Clip (3:42)
After many unfruitful telephone conversations with Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett, President John F. Kennedy calls the governor one more time to discuss the building tension over James Meredith’s impending registration at the University of Mississippi. Though the governor has made clear his opposition to the Supreme Court order to allow Meredith to attend the school, President Kennedy tries to assess whether the governor will maintain law and order when Meredith arrives.
Related Videos (3)
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Ask Steve: MLK, JR.
Ask Steve: MLK, JR.Video Clip (1:39)
Video Clip (1:39)
On Ask Steve, the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. and his assassination was discussed. His connection with the White House was cut off my President Lyndon Johnson because of his lack of support for the Vietnam War. He then went to Memphis.
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Origins of Black History Month
Origins of Black History MonthVideo Clip (2:20)
Video Clip (2:20)
A brief look at the history of African Americans and Black History Month.
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Stokely Carmichael
Stokely CarmichaelVideo Clip (1:14)
Video Clip (1:14)
Stokely Carmichael, leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, spoke to a crowd in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1964.
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