Primary sourceInterviewAugust 1964

Recording of Martin Luther King Jr. on Barry Goldwater

Martin Luther King Jr. · August 1964

An audio recording of King speaking at a press conference in 1964, discussing presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

A rare audio recording of King speaking in his own voice about electoral politics.

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Martin Luther King Jr. speaks about Barry Goldwater at a press conference, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, August 1964 (audio from Polygoon).

About this source

What it is

This is an audio recording of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at a press conference at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in August 1964. The recording comes from the Polygoon newsreel archive.

Why it matters

Hearing King's own voice discussing electoral politics shows that he engaged directly with the presidential race of 1964, not only with civil rights protest. It lets students hear his tone and manner of speaking.

Look closer

What can you learn from hearing King's voice that you could not learn from reading his words?
Why might a reporter have asked King about a political candidate rather than about civil rights directly?
What questions does this short clip leave unanswered about King's views?

This interview is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther King Jr. on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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