Extended Summary In April of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail after participating in a peaceful protest against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Eight clergymen had criticized King in a letter titled "A Call for Unity" and King replied with the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" with the intention to eradicate all social injustices by peacefully protesting the unjust laws placed in Birmingham, Alabama, and all throughout the South. King starts with addressing the clergymen's claim of him being an "outsider". He refutes that he was invited to Birmingham as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which operate in every southern state, "to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program" (King 699). King reveals …show more content…
The clergymen stated that King's direct actions were untimely and suggested negotiations, but King further explains that negotiations fail, but direct action raises tension, which "is necessary for growth" (King 701). King states that he, and the black community are tired of waiting for change, "Justice too long delayed is justice denied" (King 701). That is why King pushes direct action. King then acknowledges the difference between just and unjust laws. In the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, King comments, "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust" (King 702). King declares that segregation is unjust, "It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority" (King 702). For example, King uses Hitler and the Nazi Germany. It was legal for Hitler to persecute the innocent Jewish people. Disappointed with white moderates, King reveals that they are more "devoted to 'order' than to justice" (King 704). He hoped that the white moderates would understand that they need law and order to exist to establish justice. Their unwillingness to take action does not help King's movement to end segregation, which is why King emphasizes protest to eradicate the unjust
In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama when he was arrested. He was arguing his point that he was wrongfully arrested and describing bigger issues in Birmingham. Martin Luther King Jr. had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march on the grounds that he did not have the right or permission to do so. He claims in his letter that he was invited there to protest. He says “I am here in Birmingham because injustice is here”.
According to “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., he wrote a letter to respond to white clergymen on explaining why he is taking such actions. In the year 1963, during Martin Luther King Jr’s imprisonment in Birmingham, Alabama, he wrote a transcendent letter to white clergymen who stated that they disagreed with his obnoxious protests for racial inequality. They also urged him to seize his illogical riots. Martin’s response towards those men was that he and his fellow advocates would continue to protest and riot to make sure that they get the justice that they deserve. The clergymen also claim that he is an outsider and that he is only in Birmingham to create problems.
Why African Americans can no longer “wait” “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Dr. Martin L. King, Jr is a response to the eight white clergymen who wrote him a letter criticizing him, his movement, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. King first addresses why he came to Birmingham. Though King does not usually respond to criticism, he responds to the men because he believes they are “of genuine good will.” Martin Luther King, Jr. had been arrested and imprisoned in Birmingham in 1963 regarding his protest activities. Birmingham at the time was a segregated city, known for the mistreatment of African Americans.
In 1963 a social activist for the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in response to a public statement by eight Alabama clergymen, criticizing Dr. King’s actions. Dr. King was leading a peaceful march in Birmingham with his followers, when he was arrested for protesting. Dr. King was confined in the Birmingham jail for a total of four days in which he wrote his letter with only a newspaper that contained the public statement by the clergymen. During this time Birmingham was immensely known for its injustice and racism, being one of the most segregated cities. Dr. King’s position was to mend the injustice and inequality through non-violent peaceful actions.
King asserts it is a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.(4)”. He furthers his claim by stating that an unjust law is one that is “out of harmony with the moral law,(4)”. King says “All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” King gives vivid examples of how colored people have been repeatedly ridiculed throughout history.
King was confident that his ethical reputation would enable him to persuade those in authority to end segregation, and he urged the clergy to examine their hearts before condemning him. Using a compare and contrast strategy, King (1963) demonstrates his disheartened view of the Church, despite the love and affection that he also had for it (p. 2). Further, he describes his connections with the early leaders of civil disobedience who were punished for transgressions against the moral law (p. 7). In his letter, King (1963) stated that "Justice too long delayed, is justice denied." (pp. 5-6).
In April 1963 Martin Luther King was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, for organizing demonstrations against unjust segregation laws. While in jail, he read a letter written by eight clergymen who denounced his demonstrations. King answered the clergymen in a letter now known as "Letters from Birmingham Jail." A study of American history reveals that King was justified in leading demonstrations against unjust segregation (Jim Crow) laws. To begin, in April 12, 1966 several Alabama Clergymen wrote an open letter to Martin Luther King criticizing his actions during his demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama.
It is evident that Martin Luther King refers to the meaning of unjust law in order to
Argument Analysis Essay In Birmingham, Alabama April of 1963, there was an outbreak of protests against segregation by African Americans. This protest were quickly answered by others who were against the concept of desegregation, thus causing a riot in the city. At this moment in time, the south was still segregated and Jim Crow laws were being enforced. A letter by eight white clergymen of various religious denominations, was written to address the situation at hand. Their intended audience being the community at large, but mainly
We live in a world with currently many conflicts from the racial disparity in high incarceration rates to gun violence and the war over gun rights. In his letter, King describes that Black Americans have no identity and that the oppressed cannot remain oppressed forever. King implies that they cannot be told to “wait for justice” because if they simply
The “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” was written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 16, 1963. He was charged for parading without a permit. While in jail, he wrote on the margins of newspaper. When that was full, he used toilet paper to finish his letter. The “Letter” is a very emotionally moving piece of writing which is very persuasive.
Dr. King's, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is poignant in many ways in regard to a "big picture" viewpoint of our society. Overall, it speaks to the viewpoint that we all have a social responsibility to each other to work against injustice irrespective of where that injustice takes place. "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. Dr. King told the local clergy in Birmingham that he understood he was an outsider and he realized that his presence in Birmingham would cause trouble. However, he also felt that he had a moral
Looking at this letter from King’s time period, one may seem to not understand where King was coming from because the issue was still fresh, but today his letter has lots of
King is the prime example of this, King showed multiple times
Dr. King wanted to end segregation and he also wanted equal rights for everyone, but he was told by the clergyman that the movement was “unwise” and “untimely”. King explained that there will never be a right time for change in this society with bringing equality and justice to us all. Dr. King was told several times to wait, which prolonged his protest and marches. King became frustrated because people were being mistreated and judged everyday based off the color of their skin. Dr. King felt that segregation was wrong, and he refused to sit back and do nothing.