Essay, Research Paper: Rodney King

Rodney King
The person that I chose for my English semester research paper is the unforgettable Rodney King. Rodney King, to most people’s recollection, was an innocent black victim that was pulled over and violently beaten by many white police officers. A civilian caught the beating on a video camera, but only the beating. After the second Rodney King trial, there was the great Las Angles riot of 1993, which was caused by the trial. The main reason that I chose Rodney King was because I think that his experience made a great impact on the American society. Everyone who lived in the time of the attack or heard about it will never forget the event and the trial, and that is how much of an impact he made on America. What interests me most about the Rodney King event is that there had been nothing like it in the history of this century. In addition, it was one of the most controversial events involving race that has taken place since Martin Luther King and the 60’s and the peace era.
The facts that I do know about the event are that the black Rodney King was beaten severely by white police officers. There are many things that I want to find about his beating and the trial because I do not know that much about either one. Also, I do not know what the myths are and what the facts are. Some of the statements that I can not differentiate between myth and facts are: Was he on drugs before he was beaten? Was he being reckless in his driving and greatly exceeding the speed limit? These are some of the questions that I hope to find out from my research.
The main and central questions that I hope to solve by researching are: What caused the police officers to pull him over and beat him? What exactly happened in the trials? These have been questions that I have been wondering about even before this assignment was announced. Also, I think many people do not know the exact answers to these questions either. To find out these answers and many others I will research by using the full extent of our on-campus library. I will use magazine articles, newspapers, books, and any Internet sites that give any information about Rodney King.
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