One of the Most Notable Men in History When you think about the civil rights, what is the first name that comes to mind? Of course, that name would be Martin Luther King Jr. He was one of the most notable men in history and was the driving force behind the Civil Rights Movement. He served as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which was based out of Atlanta, Georgia. During the 1960s, segregation was prevalent in Birmingham, Alabama. Non-violent demonstrations were organized and took place in Birmingham during the Easter holiday in 1963. This timeframe was specifically chosen because it drew large crowds into town, and the demonstrators felt this would be the most effective time to capture the attention of the merchants. King, along with man other demonstrators were arrested and placed in imprisoned after participating in this. On April 16, 1963, King wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, to his fellow white clergymen explaining the rationale behind the demonstration by using the principles of logic, ethics, and emotion. …show more content…
For example, his explanation of the steps involved in a non-violent campaign, which were: “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action (Kirszner, Mandell 564)”. He wanted his fellow clergymen to understand the necessary steps were taken to ensure that peaceful negotiations would take place with the leaders of the city. Another example, was his reference to the Boston Tea Party which represented the epitome of civil disobedience. By explaining what was necessary to ensure a peaceful demonstration, and referencing one of the most monumental historical events in history which correlated to the event that took place in Birmingham, he effectively provided the rationale behind the need for the
The Inspiration of Martin Luther King Jr. in His Letter from Birmingham Jail On April 3, 1963, black men and women, impatient for equality, opened a campaign to desegregate businesses in downtown Birmingham. The protesters who defied these segregation laws soon filled Bull Connor’s jail cell beyond capacity. When the state courts of Alabama issued an injunction against the protests, Dr. King decided to defy the law and suffer the consequences.
He tells of that he was not there intentionally to cause trouble but was there to attend a leadership conference that he was invited to. He then tells us that he might need to be on call for a nonviolent demonstration if the time called for it. By stating this, it proves that he was not coming to simple cause any trouble and even speaks on the behalf that they were influenced to believe that he was an outsider coming in. He tells of that since he is president of the southern Christian leadership conferences that he is called to be involved in many of these types of work and that it is operated in many different places not just Birmingham and that he would be in one of the other states if it were
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses racial segregation and all the injustices to the black American society. He writes this letter as a response to the eight clergymen, but it also became one of the most influential letters in defense of nonviolent movement ever written. Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the country and the most violent. Even after segregation was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1954. In Birmingham, white and black Americans were very much separate with “white only” hotels, restaurants, and even bathrooms.
According to the letter from Birmingham Jail, it mentions, “So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides—and try to understand why he must do so.” People wanted to not be treated so poorly, so they fought against it and won. Reading the letter, it gives more of an understanding of what they experienced when they were treated
King Jr. He was an immense impact throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King?
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most influential leader and spokesperson in the civil rights movement. During one of the peaceful protests over the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama, King was arrested and sent to jail. While he was in jail he received backlash from eight prominent white clergy who men and responded by writing the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. This letter perfectly expresses King’s feelings toward the unjust events and it is also an example of a well written argument. The intended audience for this letter was not just the eight clergy men but also for any whites who believed the black community should stop protesting and let time take over their fate.
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he is addressing the Clergymen, more specifically the white church and its leadership who criticized his efforts in the civil rights movement, by calling his demonstrations unwise and untimely. He is also simultaneously addressing the national audience as well in letting them know of the injustices of the time. It was 1963, and Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter from inside a jail cell. He had been arrested during an anti-segregation march for not having a valid parading permit in Birmingham, Alabama. In this letter he addresses the criticisms that were brought forth to him.
Upon being imprisoned for marching Dr Martin Luther King wrote a letter to the fellow clergymen of Birmingham, addressing his reasons as to why he committed his “crime”, This letter was widely known as “The Letter of Birmingham”. This letter was very influential and paramount to the cause of civil rights as it spurred up future events that would play essential roles in ending racial segregation in America. Throughout his whole letter, King used Ethos, logos, and pathos to firmly get his message across while adding rhetorical devices such as repetition, metaphors, and biblical references.
Influential Person Research Paper Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential figure because of his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement despite the challenges he faced such as constantly being arrested and his house being bombed. One of the first accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was his founding and presidency of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The SCLC is a civil rights group that focused on desegregating the south. The group's first focus was on desegregating the bus system, but they eventually moved on to greater things such as registering blacks to vote and organizing peaceful protests. This proves that King was a successful civil rights leader, even though he struggled against racists whites in power that would try to oppress him and his group.
Response to “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he responded to statements written in a Birmingham newspaper that criticized his actions in the city. He undermined these disapprovals by explaining his belief in nonviolent direct action. King also went on to give opinions on other topics, such as, the lack of support from white moderates and white churches. He used technique and structure to develop his ideas and justify his methods.
In his response to the clergymen's letter, written in 1963 during the height of the Civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King writes and responds to the three claims made by the clergymen. While he led a peaceful protest in Birmingham, he aimed to address the injustice and racism in this town. The local police then arrested King because he broke a new law that said you could not protest without a permit. Dr. Martin Luther King was just visiting Birmingham to engage in direct nonviolent action and deal with the injustice that was happening throughout the city. He was invited by someone in the Christian Movement for Human Rights to go to Birmingham.
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail because of a peaceful protest, protesting treatments of blacks in Birmingham. Before the protest a court ordered that protests couldn’t be held in Birmingham. While being held in Birmingham, King wrote what came to be known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Not even King himself could predict how much of an impact this letter would have on the Civil Rights Movement. In the letter kind defended Kings beliefs on Nonviolent Protests, King also counters the accusations of him breaking laws by categorizing segregation laws into just and unjust laws. King uses this principle to help persuade others to join him in his acts of civil disobedience.
He as well emphasizes the importance of the demonstration in moral and historical grounds. In this letter, King explains the importance and the planning of the Birmingham demonstration. King illustrates this when he faces the criticism of his demonstrations as “unwise and untimely” (King 1). He shares key features to his anti-violence movement: “determining whether injustices exist, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action” (King 1).
King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice
is today thought of the leader of the fight for civil rights. Which is very true, considering schools teach about him every year when it comes to the Civil War. Dr. King pushed America to go after the promise that everybody could be treated fairly. (NAACP). People everywhere in our country look up to this man and see greatness, and that is because he did what nobody else did.