King came to Memphis in March 1968 to support striking sanitation workers. The strike had begun after two workers were crushed by a malfunctioning garbage truck, their deaths highlighting the dangerous conditions and poverty wages Black workers endured. The workers' simple demand - to be treated as human beings - resonated with King's evolving focus on economic justice. His first visit ended in chaos when a march devolved into violence. King returned on April 3, determined to lead a peaceful demonstration. That night, at Mason Temple, he delivered his final speech: 'I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.' Twenty-four hours later, he was dead.

James Earl Ray was a petty criminal and escaped convict with a long record and racist views. On April 4, he rented a room at Bessie Brewer's rooming house across the street from the Lorraine Motel. From the shared bathroom window, he had a clear shot at the motel's second-floor balcony. He waited with a Remington rifle until King appeared. After firing, Ray fled, leaving behind the rifle, binoculars, and a bag of belongings. He eluded capture for two months before being arrested at London's Heathrow Airport. Ray pleaded guilty and received a 99-year sentence. He immediately recanted, claiming he was a patsy in a larger conspiracy. He spent the rest of his life seeking a trial he never received, dying in prison in 1998.

Like the Kennedy assassination, King's murder spawned endless conspiracy theories. Ray's claim that he was set up by a mysterious figure named 'Raoul' has never been verified or conclusively debunked. The House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in 1979 that Ray was the shooter but that a conspiracy was 'likely.' Allegations have implicated the FBI, the Memphis police, organized crime, and various combinations thereof. King's family came to believe Ray was innocent and called for a new trial. In 1999, a civil jury found that King was killed as a result of a conspiracy involving government agencies - though the verdict has been disputed. The truth may never be fully known. What's certain is that a bullet from Ray's rifle ended King's life.

News of King's assassination triggered the Holy Week Uprising - riots in more than 100 cities, including Washington, D.C., where flames rose within sight of the White House. Forty-three people died; thousands were arrested. The National Guard was deployed to American cities. One week later, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, including the Fair Housing Act that King had championed. The violence of that week - and the assassination that sparked it - accelerated legislation that might otherwise have taken years. King's death transformed him from a controversial radical into an American hero. The campaign for a federal holiday in his honor began almost immediately, though it took until 1983 to succeed.

The National Civil Rights Museum incorporates the Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street in Memphis. The museum tells the story of the American civil rights movement from slavery through the present, using the motel as both artifact and symbol. Room 306, where King spent his final night, and the balcony where he fell are preserved behind glass. Across the street, the rooming house from which James Earl Ray fired is now part of the museum, telling the story of the assassination and its aftermath. The experience is emotionally powerful - standing where King stood, looking at the window where his killer waited. The museum draws over 200,000 visitors annually. Memphis International Airport (MEM) is 15 miles south. The museum is in downtown Memphis, near Beale Street and other attractions.