Research Proposal

The event I will be focusing on is the 1968 Civil Disturbance in Baltimore. When Lyndon Johnson took office, he followed in the steps of JFK by rolling out a plan to bridge the gap between Americans and revitalize urban communities. Johnson recognized that the country he was elected to lead, was being pulled in different directions. One America for whites, and another for blacks. Johnson rolled out an ambitious plan to bring both sides together, and to create an America where everyone had a chance to succeed.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore unemployment and infant mortality in the black community was at an all time high. White Baltimore city residents moved westward towards the suburbs, and blacks were restricted to urban areas due to public policies that encouraged “racial zoning” and racial covenants. President Johnsons fears and worst nightmares, were a reality for blacks living in Baltimore city. These problems had been brewing since the turn of the century, and while blacks and whites worked together remove the unfair legacy that Jim Crow laws left. The tension in Baltimore was escalating, and it wouldn't take much tear the fragile peace apart. Many people credit the cause of the 68 riots as the assignation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, but my research project will show the social, economical, and political climate of Baltimore and the nation set the tone for an uprising of the Baltimores black community.