Civil Rights Movement in 1968

 Photo Source: BBC News

The Civil Rights Movement in 1968 was marked by both progress and tragedy. On one hand, many significant advances were made in the fight for racial equality, but on the other hand, the movement lost one of its most prominent and influential leaders in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the major events of 1968 was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act. This legislation, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11th, prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and sex. This was a significant step forward in the fight for racial equality, as it helped to address the issue of housing discrimination and provide greater access to homeownership for people of color.

Another important event was the formation of the Black Power Movement. The Black Power Movement was a cultural and political movement that sought to empower Black people and promote self-determination and pride in their African heritage. The movement, which began to gain momentum in the mid-1960s, advocated for more militant and radical tactics than the traditional Civil Rights Movement. One of the most famous examples of the Black Power Movement was the Black Panthers, who advocated for self-defense and community control.

However, the most impactful event of 1968 was the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4th. King, who had been at the forefront of the civil rights movement and the fight for equality for African Americans, was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His death sparked riots and protests in cities across the United States, and left the Civil Rights Movement without one of its most prominent and influential leaders.

Despite this tragedy, the Civil Rights Movement continued to make progress in 1968. Civil rights activists and leaders such as Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, and Coretta Scott King stepped forward to continue Martin Luther King Jr.'s work. Additionally, many African Americans continued to organize and fight for equal rights on a grassroots level.

In conclusion, the Civil Rights Movement in 1968 was marked by both progress and tragedy. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the Black Power Movement were significant steps forward in the fight for racial equality, but the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was a major setback. Nevertheless, the Civil Rights Movement continued to push for change and make progress, as activists and leaders stepped forward to continue the fight for racial equality.

Mrs Robinson

Released April 5, 1968 - This was written for the movie The Graduate, starring Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson, a middle-aged woman who seduces the much younger Dustin Hoffman. Bancroft, who died in 2005, had a long and successful film career, but is best known for her part in this movie.

Regarding the famous line, "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?": DiMaggio was a star baseball player for the New York Yankees who was briefly married to Marilyn Monroe. Simon was using him to represent heroes of the past. DiMaggio was a little miffed when he heard this, since he was still very much alive even though he retired from baseball in 1951, but he realized that he had become a new icon now with the baby boomer generation due to this song's success.

Simon, who is a huge fan of The Yankees, explained in a 1990 interview with SongTalk magazine: "The Joe DiMaggio line was written right away in the beginning. And I don't know why or where it came from. It seems so strange, like it didn't belong in that song and then, I don't know, it was so interesting to us that we just kept it. So it's one of the most well-known lines that I've ever written."

Paul Simon was a much bigger fan of Mickey Mantle than Joe DiMaggio. On The Dick Cavett Show, Simon was asked by Mantle why he wasn't mentioned in the song instead of DiMaggio. Simon replied, "It's about syllables, Mick. It's about how many beats there are."

When DiMaggio died in 1999, it was a very emotional event for many baseball fans who grew up watching him play. The part of this song that mentions him summed of the feelings of many people who felt there was no one left to look up to. Simon wrote an editorial about DiMaggio in The New York Times shortly after his death.

Simon began writing this as "Mrs. Roosevelt," and had just the line, "Here's to you, Mrs. Roosevelt" when he changed it to "Mrs. Robinson" for The Graduate.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a likely influence on the song. Some of the lyrics support this theory: Read more

   

MRS. ROBINSON (Simon & Garfunkel)

CAPO 2nd Fret

PLAY G

KEY  A 

G/B     x-2-0-0-0-3

C/B     x-2-x-0-1-0

Am7/G   3-x-2-0-1-0

 

[Intro]

E

Di di-di-di di di di-di di di di-di di

A

Doo doo-doo-doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo

D               G          C     G/B   Am    E    D

   Di-di-di-di di di di-di-di di di-di di

  

[Chorus]

D             G        Em

And here's to you Mrs. Robinson

 G               Em                  C   C/B Am7 Am7/G        D

Jesus loves you more than you will know,               wo wo wo

D             G           Em

God bless you please Mrs. Robinson

G              Em                  C    C/B Am7 Am7/G         Am

Heaven holds a place for those who pray,             hey hey hey

        E

Hey hey hey

[Verse 1]

E                                                E7

We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files

A                                    A7

We'd like to help you learn to help yourself

D               G               C     G/B   Am

Look around you all you see are sympathetic eyes

E                           D

Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home

 

[Chorus]

D             G        Em

And here's to you Mrs. Robinson

 G               Em                  C   C/B Am7 Am7/G        D

Jesus loves you more than you will know,               wo wo wo

D             G           Em

God bless you please Mrs. Robinson

G              Em                  C    C/B Am7 Am7/G         Am

Heaven holds a place for those who pray,             hey hey hey

        E

Hey hey hey

 

[Verse 2]

E                                             E7

Hide it in a hiding place where no one ever goes

A                                A7

Put it in your pantry with your cupcakes

D             G               C    G/B     Am

It's a little secret just the Robinsons' affair

E                         D

Most of all you've got to hide it from the kids  

 

[Chorus]

D            G        Em

Koo-koo-ka-choo, Mrs. Robinson

 G               Em                  C   C/B Am7 Am7/G        D

Jesus loves you more than you will know,               wo wo wo

D             G           Em

God bless you please Mrs. Robinson

G              Em                  C    C/B Am7 Am7/G         Am

Heaven holds a place for those who pray,             hey hey hey

        E

Hey hey hey

 

[Verse 3]

E                                 E7

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon

A                               A7

Going to the candidates debate

D              G              C           G/B     Am

Laugh about it shout about it when you've got to choose

E                          D

Any way you look at it you lose

 

[Chorus]

D              G          Em

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio

G                  Em             C    C/B Am7 Am7/G            D

A nation turns its lonely eyes to you,                woo woo woo

D               G        Em

What's that you say Mrs. Robinson

G               Em            C    C/B Am7 Am7/G          Am            E

Joltin' Joe has left and gone away,              hey hey hey, hey hey hey

Source: tabs.ultimate-guitar

1968 La, la, la

April 6, 1968 - La, la, la by Massiel (music and lyrics by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 for Spain, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (occasionally referred to as simply 2001) released on April 6, 1968 is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film deals with thematic elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, and is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, ambiguous and often surreal imagery, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques, and minimal use of dialogue.

The film has a memorable soundtrack — the result of the association which Kubrick made between the rotary motion of the satellites and the dancers of waltzes, which led him to use the Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss II, and the famous symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra, by Richard Strauss, to portray the philosophical evolution of Man theorized in Nietzsche's homonymous work.

Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, 2001: A Space Odyssey is today recognized by many critics and audiences as one of the greatest films ever made; the 2002 Sight & Sound poll of critics ranked it among the top ten films of all time. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and received one for visual effects. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in The National Film Registry.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

On April 11, 1968 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, or as CRA '68), which was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While the Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibited discrimination in housing, there were no federal enforcement provisions. The 1968 act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and as of 1974, gender; as of 1988, the act protects the disabled and families with children. It also provided protection for civil rights workers.

Victims of discrimination may use both the 1968 act and the 1866 act (via section 1982) to seek redress. The 1968 act provides for federal solutions while the 1866 act provides for private solutions (i.e., civil suits).

1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. Assasination

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated - On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is shot down while standing on a motel's balcony in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray. Following the news of King's murder, racial violence breaks out in cities nationwide. King was booked in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, owned by black businessman Walter Bailey (and named after his wife). King's close friend and colleague, Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, who was present at the assassination, told the House Select Committee on Assassinations that King and his entourage stayed in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel so often that it was known as the "King-Abernathy Suite." According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's last words were to musician Ben Branch, who was scheduled to perform that night at an event King was going to attend: "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty." At 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968, while he was standing on the motel's second-floor balcony, King was struck by a single bullet fired from a rifle. The bullet traveled through the right side of his neck, smashing his throat and then going down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder. King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where doctors opened his chest and performed manual heart massage. He was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's autopsy revealed that though he was only 39 years old, he had the heart of a 60-year-old man. Read the full story here. Photos courtesy of Wikipedia and pop-culture.us

Oliver! 1968 Oscar Award - Best Picture

Oliver! is a 1968 musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris.
Both the film and play are based on the famous Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The musical includes several musical standards, including "Food, Glorious Food", "Consider Yourself", "As Long as He Needs Me", "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two", "Oom-Pah-Pah" and "Where is Love?".
The film version was a Romulus Films production and was distributed internationally by Columbia Pictures. It was filmed in Shepperton Film Studio in Surrey.
In 1968 Oliver! won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Carol Reed.

The movie was released September 26, 1968.