martin luther king jr vietnam war speech transcript

So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would never live on the same block in Detroit. 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. Nor is it an attempt to overlook the ambiguity of the total situation and the need for a collective solution to the tragedy of Vietnam. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr ., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, delivers a speech entitled "Beyond Vietnam" in front of 3,000 people at Riverside Church in. But what I want - I think the question - I've always thought that Dr. King, that that speech about Vietnam was his best speech in my mind. In that address, he articulated his reasons for his opposition to the Southeast Asian conflict. All the while the people read our leaflets and received regular promises of peace and democracy and land reform. As if the weight of such a commitment to the life and health of America were not enough, another burden of responsibility was placed upon me in 1964; and I cannot forget that the Nobel Prize for Peace was also a commission a commission to work harder than I had ever worked before for the brotherhood of man. This is a calling that takes me beyond national allegiances, but even if it were not present I would yet have to live with the meaning of my commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ. It will become clear that our minimal expectation is to occupy it as an American colony and men will not refrain from thinking that our maximum hope is to goad China into a war so that we may bomb her nuclear installations. The question is, is it a war of necessity or a war of choice at this point? In "People and Peace, not Profits and War," Shirley Chisholm repeats the words "two more years" (42). And I think most Americans know the "I Have A Dream" speech. So practically everybody was opposed to him giving this speech. It was, to your earlier point, the most controversial speech he ever gave. Some civil rights leaders urged King not to speak out on the Vietnam War, but he said he could not separate issues of economic injustice, racism, war, and militarism. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. We in the West must support these revolutions. There are people who have come to see the moral imperative of equality, but who cannot yet see the moral imperative of world brotherhood. James L. Bevel dies at 72; civil rights activist and top lieutenant to King", "Martin Luther King Jr. made our nation uncomfortable", "The Uncompromising Anti-Capitalism of Martin Luther King Jr", "Why Martin Luther King Didn't Run for President", "Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master and Political Reformer, Dies at 95", "The Story Of King's 'Beyond Vietnam' Speech", "Dragons, legos, and solitary: Ai Weiwei's transformative Alcatraz exhibition", Full transcript of the speech from Commondreams.org. They move sadly and apathetically as we herd them off the land of their fathers into concentration camps where minimal social needs are rarely met. And he starts out in the opening line at Riverside Church by saying: I am here tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. But two, to the audio, there are only less than 10 minutes of this speech that got covered. 0000017817 00000 n Delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Manhattan's Riverside Church, April 4, 1967 . On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his first major public address on the war in Vietnam at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. Though the cause of evil prosper, Yet tis truth alone is strong; Though her portion be the scaffold, And upon the throne be wrong: Yet that scaffold sways the future, And behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow Keeping watch above his own. For as popular as King was, he was a Nobel laureate, there were only one or two news crews who actually came to see the speech that night, Neal. These too are our brothers. [1][5], King was long opposed to American involvement in the Vietnam War, but at first avoided the topic in public speeches in order to avoid the interference with civil rights goals that criticism of President Johnson's policies might have created. And King gives a great speech out of that hospital called "If I Had Sneezed." The speech and its echoes for Afghanistan and Iraq are the subject of "Tavis Smiley Reports MLK: A Call to Conscience.". His speech appears below. 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. 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 moving finger writes, and having writ moves on We still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond to compassion my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. 0000003503 00000 n 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. What liberators? One of the things, I hope, Neal, will happen here is that when people get a chance to see the special, they will be moved - I think they will be - to Google or Bing, whatever search engine you use, to go online, because the speech is so readily available, Neal, as you know. Of course, he's assassinated in Memphis a year to the day later after giving this speech. Martin Luther King Jr. held his acceptance speech in the auditorium of the University of Oslo on 10 December 1964. The Institute cannot give permission to use or reproduce any of the writings, statements, or images of Martin Luther King, Jr. They ask how we can speak of free elections when the Saigon press is censored and controlled by the military junta. [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. Ho Chi Minh has watched as America has spoken of peace and built up its forces, and now he has surely heard of the increasing international rumors of American plans for an invasion of the north. They see the children selling their sisters to our soldiers, soliciting for their mothers. We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. It basically ruined their working relationship. But Carson makes a powerful point in the special that you just identified, about whether or not Martin King himself would be welcome in some of these mega-churches, at certain political gatherings. You can also join the conversation at our Web site. So they go primarily women and children and the aged. What do they think as we test our latest weapons on them, just as the Germans tested out new medicine and new tortures in the concentration camps of Europe? King to Weigh Civil Disobedience). Due to the Vietnam War is that plenty of individuals, both Americans and Vietnamese were killed. It is not addressed to China or to Russia. And about a month after that speech was given, I was wounded. The problem was that practically everyone in his inner circle - not all, there was James Bevel and a couple of others - but practically everyone in his inner circle advised him strongly not to give this speech. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Benjamin Hedin on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, anti-Vietnam War speech at Riverside Church in New York, which risked King's relationship with Lyndon Johnson. And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment or my calling. America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. And King was prescient on this. Challenges of the final years of Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. SMILEY: Well, I think the question is whether or not - I hear your point, Neal, and I take it. 5. There were a lot of people inside. What do they think of our condoning the violence which led to their own taking up of arms? Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. Had the president stopped by giving Martin King his just respect - as he did, to his credit - it would have been okay. This speech is not addressed to Hanoi or to the National Liberation Front. Have they forgotten that my ministry is in obedience to the one who loved his enemies so fully that he died for them? 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. King linked his anti-war and civil rights work in speeches throughout the country, where he described the three problems he saw plaguing the nation: racism, poverty, and the war in Vietnam. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. P: (650) 723-2092 | F: (650) 723-2093 | kinginstitute@stanford.edu| Campus Map. Undeterred, King, Spock, and Harry Belafonte led 10,000 demonstrators on an anti-war march to the United Nations on 15 April 1967. 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. Moreover I would encourage all ministers of draft age to give up their ministerial exemptions and seek status as conscientious objectors. And that is precisely what concerned Dr. King so much, that these young boys were being sent halfway around the world to fight a war that was unwinnable, that resources were being used there that should've been used here at home. A few days later, King made it clear that his peace work was not undertaken as the leader of the SCLC, but as an individual, as a clergyman, as one who is greatly concerned about peace (Dr. It was a tactical mistake. "[14][15], The "Beyond Vietnam" speech reflected King's evolving political advocacy in his later years, which paralleled the teachings of the progressive Highlander Research and Education Center, with which he was affiliated. "[14] If it is, let us trace its movement well and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us. Hundreds of folks listened outside on loudspeakers. And it was on that occasion that he - when he saw those pictures, said, I have to speak out about this. Mr. SMILEY: Indeed, he did. We had to do a whole lot of work in the booth trying to get that audio right. If we do not act we shall surely be dragged down the long dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. 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 . And that's the issue that King was raising. 0000012541 00000 n 0000001616 00000 n If you remember the speech, tell us what it meant at that time, and does the principle of nonviolence apply in the age of al-Qaida? 0000001700 00000 n This kind of positive revolution of values is our best defense against communism. [27] Thich Nhat Hanh, who publicly held a news conference in Chicago with King in 1966, was acknowledged for urging King to oppose the Vietnam War. Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence when it helps us to see the enemys point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. 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. What then can I say to the Vietcong or to Castro or to Mao as a faithful minister of this one? 0000003454 00000 n 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. [24], King's stance on Vietnam encouraged Allard K. Lowenstein, William Sloane Coffin and Norman Thomas, with the support of anti-war Democrats, to attempt to persuade King to run against President Johnson in the 1968 United States presidential election. This is Howard, which you know me. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. President Obama, this is one campaign promise that he has kept. Paul A. Schuette, King Preaches on Non-Violence at Police-Guarded Howard Hall, Washington Post, 3 March 1965. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. To speak for them is to explain this lack of confidence in Western words, and especially their distrust of American intentions now. King Leads Chicago Peace Rally, New York Times, 26 March 1967. 0000023610 00000 n We must speak for them and raise the questions they cannot raise. Mr. SMILEY: That's right. Dr. King is trying to get the point across that our country is being unfair to others. Now let us begin. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today my own government. Excuse me. [citation needed] Content [ edit] We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world a world that borders on our doors. 800-989-8255, email us talk@npr.org. That's what set so many of them off. Carson and Shepard, 2001. King Scores Poverty Budget, New York Times, 16 December 1966. And they, as news crews tend to do, they stayed to get just enough B-roll, as we call it Mr. SMILEY: for the news that night. 0000004834 00000 n This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. The situation is one in which we must be ready to turn sharply from our present ways. The Institute cannot give permission to use or reproduce any of the writings, statements, or images of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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