Jr's Turning Point

If you look up the word “pivotal” in the dictionary it will probably say something similar to “of vital or critical importance”. When something is pivotal, it is central. Which means everything related to the topic turns or depends on it. An event can be a pivotal moment in a nation's history if the direction the country takes depends on it. The year 1968 was a year of many critically important turning points. During this year America reached new altitudes when it orbited the moon, but all was not as good down on Earth. The United States also lost a lot such as two key figures who support peace and equality; the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
The year started off rocky after North Korea captured the USS Pueblo, which
was standing on the second floor balcony of a room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee when he was shot. The civil rights leader (then 39 years old) was rushed to nearby St. Joseph's Hospital, but he never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead around 7 p.m. Dr. King's fellow civil rights pioneers begged for a nonviolent response to honor his memory. However, violent responses were inevitable. Riots broke out in more than 100 cities and towns across the nation. Two months later, James Earl Ray was captured at London's Heathrow Airport and confessed to the assignation, but he later attempted to recant. Then he pleaded guilty to avoid the death sentence. He later died in prison in 1998. On the night Dr. King was assassinated, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy arrived in Indianapolis on a campaign stop and he informed a crowd about King's death. Then Kennedy urged the crowd not to be filled with bitterness or hatred, and not to seek revenge. He called on them to embrace King's message of love and compassion for one another. Many believe that Kennedy's speech prevented rioting in Indianapolis that
The commission was led by Governor Kerner. This 11-member commission was appointed (by then President Lyndon B. Johnson) to uncover the causes of urban riots and to recommend solutions. The report identified more than 150 riots or major disorders between 1965 and 1968, including the deadly Newark and Detroit riots. The commission blamed “white racism” for the increase in violence. In 1967 alone 83 people were killed and 1,800 were injured and the majority of them were African Americans. There was also more than $100 million worth of property that was damaged or