- Home
- Introductory Essay
- Lives of the Sanitation Workers
- The Strike Begins
- Negotiations, Vigils, and Sandwiches
- The Macing March
- A Community Awakens
- A Nation Awakens
- Dr. King Arrives In Memphis
- Terrible Thursday
- The Men March, The Guards Watch
- I've Been To The Mountain Top
- Lorraine Motel
- Mourning
- Victory for Local 1733
- Impact on the South, 1968-1970
- Remembering Memphis
- Resources
- Credits/Contact
The Men March, The Guards Watch
By the evening of March 28th, martial law had been declared and 4,000 soldiers of the Tennessee National Guard patrolled the streets. Undaunted, the sanitation workers marched the following day, but this time, they were shadowed by soldiers with bayonets and tanks. "It really was the classic confrontation between striking workers with nothing more then picket signs and the might of the armed forces of this city," stated Bill Lucy.