Resistance Information Report: Poor People's Campaign

What it is

This is a page from a Resistance Information Report produced by the U.S. federal government, dated for the week ending 10 May 1968. It describes plans for the Poor People's Campaign, including the arrival of marchers in Washington, D.C. and plans to build a camp known as 'Resurrection City'. The document was declassified and released to the public decades later.

Why it matters

This report shows how closely the U.S. government watched the civil rights movement that King led and helped plan before his death. It reveals official concern over the Poor People's Campaign, which King had organized to address poverty, and shows the government's focus on logistics like crowd control and housing as a 'problem' to manage.

Look closer

• Who was writing this report, and for whom?
• What words does the report use to describe the marchers and their plans — what do those words suggest about the writer's point of view?
• Why might a government want to track a peaceful march so closely?