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Without Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the United States would certainly look different than it does today. Yet, in spite of being one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century and helping the US become more just, much of the shameful injustice that his country perpetrated against him remains hidden.

Below, however, you will find some answers — both regarding his legacy and how parts of the government tried to undermine him every step of the way.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, WhoWhatWhy presents — through a fascinating collection of pictures — a brief history of American racism, a look at the kind of hatred, atrocities, and soul-searing humiliation that spurred King into action.

Longtime Memphis journalist Marc Perrusquia has spent years examining the questionable tactics of the FBI in its surveillance of King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This podcast explores the bureau’s behavior and reveals that — amazingly — these same shadowy tactics, and their cover-up, continue to this day.

William Pepper, who has devoted most of his life to uncovering the truth of the King assassination, recaps the events and players that came together at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, in April 1968.

An excerpt from William Pepper’s book, The Plot to Kill King, detailing his decades-long investigation into a possible conspiracy.

Selma, AL, was perhaps the climax of the civil rights movement. On the 51st anniversary of that famed march, we took a moment to reflect on some of King’s most extraordinary oratory.

Related front page panorama photo credit: Adapted by WhoWhatWhy from Florida Memory / Flickr.

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