Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin

Chasing King’s Killer is set against the backdrop of the United States’ tumultuous 1950s and 60s. Between the civil rights movement, controversy over the Vietnam War, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, this was a time of great change, conflict, and social upheaval. Within this context, Swanson shows how King’s assassination was not an isolated event, but part of a larger tide of violence and division gripping the country and even the world. 

The civil rights movement began in the mid-1950s. Although slavery had been abolished for over 100 years, Black people in the United States still faced significant inequality and discrimination, especially in the South, where segregation and racist “Jim Crow” laws treated Black people like second-class citizens. Martin Luther King became a leader of the civil rights movement known for his commitment to nonviolent resistance, leading demonstrations, marches, and peaceful acts of civil disobedience. However, the civil rights movement’s efforts were often met with violence from law enforcement and white supremacists. 

Meanwhile, other issues were also contributing to an atmosphere of tension in the United States. The threat of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union persisted with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1961, and opposition to the Vietnam War rose throughout the decade. Additionally, the Space Race was underway, and technological advancements were occurring at lightning speed. The world was changing incredibly quickly, and this created a sense of anxiety and insecurity in the American people, yet also a sense of hope, progress, and opportunity.