Why Martin Luther King Didn't Run for President
King considered launching a presidential campaign to oppose military interventionism and promote democratic socialism
Martin Luther King Jr., pictured here during the 1963 March on Washington, considered a run for office in the 1968 election. Agence
Early in 1967, America was mired in an escalating war in Vietnam, presided over by President Lyndon B. Johnson. A collection of liberal leaders including anti-war Yale chaplain William Sloane Coffin, prominent socialist Norman Thomas and future Congressman Allard Lowenstein were determined to recruit a serious anti-war candidate to challenge Johnson in 1968.
They believed they had the perfect prospect: Martin Luther King Jr.
By 1967, King had gained stature as the nation's preeminent civil rights leader. Against the advice of many, he was also speaking out against the Vietnam War, arguing that costly and immoral interventionism abroad was hindering progress toward racial and economic justice at home.
The liberal leaders, sensing that King could galvanize voters looking for an outside crusader, proposed that he run a third-party campaign with Dr. Benjamin Spock, the famed pediatrician and anti-war critic, as his running mate.
These leaders were not the only ones hoping for a run by King. When the civil rights champion spoke at Berkeley in May 1967, students held homemade signs that read, "King / Spock in '68."
King considered the prospect of a presidential bid, but he ultimately decided against it.
The rest of the article is pretty unrelated but this is still interesting to see
Here is the rest of the article:Why Martin Luther King Didn't Run for President
King considered launching a presidential campaign to oppose military interventionism and promote democratic socialism
Martin Luther King Jr., pictured here during the 1963 March on Washington, considered a run for office in the 1968 election. Agence
Early in 1967, America was mired in an escalating war in Vietnam, presided over by President Lyndon B. Johnson. A collection of liberal leaders including anti-war Yale chaplain William Sloane Coffin, prominent socialist Norman Thomas and future Congressman Allard Lowenstein were determined to recruit a serious anti-war candidate to challenge Johnson in 1968.
They believed they had the perfect prospect: Martin Luther King Jr.
By 1967, King had gained stature as the nation's preeminent civil rights leader. Against the advice of many, he was also speaking out against the Vietnam War, arguing that costly and immoral interventionism abroad was hindering progress toward racial and economic justice at home.
The liberal leaders, sensing that King could galvanize voters looking for an outside crusader, proposed that he run a third-party campaign with Dr. Benjamin Spock, the famed pediatrician and anti-war critic, as his running mate.
These leaders were not the only ones hoping for a run by King. When the civil rights champion spoke at Berkeley in May 1967, students held homemade signs that read, "King / Spock in '68."
King considered the prospect of a presidential bid, but he ultimately decided against it.
The rest of the article is pretty unrelated but this is still interesting to see
Here is the rest of the article:Why Martin Luther King Didn't Run for President
