WI: Martin Luther King Was Never Assassinated?

I suspect that if he hadn't been martyred, he'd have done or said something later that would have allowed his enemies to attack his legacy.
 
Worst case he's remembered the way we remember Fred Phelps. Realistically he probably speaks out against homosexuality and abortion, and he's remembered in a lot of America as a man who pandered to poor, angry black folks, however unfair that is.
 
I suspect that he would be influenced by the general progressive consensus on gay issues. May take a VERY different view on abortion, linked to his views on non-violence.

His economic views would take him far from the mainstream as it emerged in otl. Super optimistic version, he manages to prevent the 'Greed is good' consencus
 
Worst case he's remembered the way we remember Fred Phelps. Realistically he probably speaks out against homosexuality and abortion, and he's remembered in a lot of America as a man who pandered to poor, angry black folks, however unfair that is.

Possibly. Though I'd note that his wife became a gay rights supporter later in her life. He probably would have tempered his views in the 1980s as the HIV/AIDS crisis unfolded as many did. Virtually anyone born in 1929 is going to start from a position of opposition to homosexuality as that was the default consensus for those times. If he decided that gay rights was a civil rights issue, he could be a powerful voice for gay rights and a force discouraging homophobia in the black church.

He would have been an outspoken opponent of the Reagan economic consensus of the 1980s. Chances are good that while he would have opposed drug use, he would have been appalled by the so-called "War on Drugs" and the rise of mass incarceration. While you lay out the worst case, there's a best case where he is remembered well as America's conscience in a time of resurgent conservatism.
 
America would remember him as we do Jesse Jackson nowadays: as some "uppity race-hustler." Let's be clear: many white Americans detested MLK Jr. at the time. Worse, his economic views put him well beyond the mainstream consensus. Certainly no MLK Jr. day as a holiday.
 
America would remember him as we do Jesse Jackson nowadays: as some "uppity race-hustler." Let's be clear: many white Americans detested MLK Jr. at the time. Worse, his economic views put him well beyond the mainstream consensus. Certainly no MLK Jr. day as a holiday.

Indeed. King is a "safe" civil rights leader nowadays precisely because of his assassination. Hence why BLM and other "troublesome" groups and people are repeatedly and unfavorably compared to him, with him used as an example of the ideal moderate and non-violent civil rights activist. Nevermind that the real Dr King would have had far more common ground than differences with BLM. Were he alive today, the same people deriding and sneering at BLM, Jesse Jackson and others would do the same thing toward him.
 
How long would he have lived had he not been assassinated? I remember reading somewhere that his autopsy revealed he had heart issues, and given his heavy smoking...
 

Bulldoggus

Banned
His economic views would take him far from the mainstream as it emerged in otl. Super optimistic version, he manages to prevent the 'Greed is good' consencus
NFW. He's only popular among whites now because he's a martyr. If he ran for, say, President, he might've even lost DC. Optimistic version for his legacy is he becomes a congressman in Atlanta and is seen as a John Lewis type figure.
 

aleasp

Banned
Dr. King might have functioned as an elder statesman of the civil rights movement, which would have given him the credibility to speak out against more extreme black leaders who became prominent later. He might have been in a position to influence attitudes in the black community toward self destructive behaviors that have undermined the gains of the civil rights movement and served to reinforce negative stereotypes. Though all people have faults, being martyred can cause them to be papered over, as with the JFK assassination. Black, white, gay, straight, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Atheist, Republican, Democrat, we all have differences, but I believe Dr. King recognized that those differences are outweighed by our common interests.
 
He gets condemned by the right-wing forever as a radical leftist for his anti-capitalist and anti-war stances throughout the next decade or two until he dies due to health problems caused by stress. No MLK day as Republicsns and moderate and conservative Democrats will not like him that much. He'll still be admired on the left, and on the plus side he won't have his quotations misused by conservatives to bash left-wing activists like they do now.

Worst case he's remembered the way we remember Fred Phelps. Realistically he probably speaks out against homosexuality and abortion, and he's remembered in a lot of America as a man who pandered to poor, angry black folks, however unfair that is.
His allies like Jesse Jackson and John Lewis eventually went liberal on social issues, I imagine he would as well.
 
How long would he have lived had he not been assassinated? I remember reading somewhere that his autopsy revealed he had heart issues, and given his heavy smoking...
Probably not to the present day, like 10-20 years more at most unless he had a mild heart attack early on and changed up his lifestyle.
 
How long would he have lived had he not been assassinated? I remember reading somewhere that his autopsy revealed he had heart issues, and given his heavy smoking...

Perhaps 10 - 20 years. Him had really serious heart issues and probably much stress.
 
Top