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Analyze Mlk Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King, the most well known civil rights activist and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 16, 1963. He was arrested for protesting without a license. Martin Luther King wrote a letter while in jail in response to the clergymen, stating that he no longer wanted to sit and wait to be heard. While writing this letter, Martin Luther King uses his claims, rhetorical devices, and conference sources to develop his argument. Martin Luther King states that he is not an outsider. He makes it apparent that he has affiliate ties with many organizations in the south by saying that "I am here because I have organizational ties here" in paragraph 2. His organizational ties indicate a credible source. In addition, Martin Luther King also claims that it is his biblical duty to be in …show more content…

He uses these sources to back up and reinforce his argument of why he cannot sit and wait to be heard. King cites the Supreme Court's decision of 1954, a law that bans the segregation of public schools as a tool to use against the clergymen, stating that "You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern," King brings this up because the laws that King is talking about are unjust, segregation laws that are unfair and only affect the black population. These laws that the clergymen are talking about are nothing like the Supreme Court's decision of 1954, a law that helps the black population. King also quotes St. Augustine in the fact that "an unjust law is not law at all" when asked about how a person can advocate for breaking some laws whilst obeying others. King states that "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." this quote shows that an unjust law doesn't even exist in his eyes, just as St. Augustine

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King claims that disobedience to unjust laws is necessary. Dr. King utilizes examples from the history of other nations, and America itself. Since Dr. King is writing to fellow clergymen, he references an example from the Bible to help support his claim. In the older times, Christians were "willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." Using this piece of evidence to support his claim that disobedience to unjust laws is necessary, Dr. King is able to send a message to the clergymen.

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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.

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Graphic Organizer "I Have a Dream" "Letter From Birmingham Jail" Point-by-Point Introduction Attention Grabber I Have A Dream written by MLK to help change the way that african americans were being treated to get better rights. Letter From Birmingham jail written to respond to criticism for segregation also.

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King states, "I would agree with St. Augustine that an unjust law is no law at all." Here again King uses ethos by putting this credible source in the letter. These two sources matter very much because it makes his letter sound more proper and better having those credible sources in

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Martin Luther King was a firm advocate of peaceful protests and actions to attain social change; however, these actions failed to bring equality. On April 10th, 1963 the city of Birmingham banned street marches without permission. When King refused to call off his demonstrations he was arrested on April 12, and placed in solitary confinement in the Birmingham Jail. While in jail King read the newspaper ad “A Call for Unity”, calling King’s activities “unwise and untimely”; this ad was a public statement signed by eight Alabama clergymen in protest to King’s actions. In response to this, King writes “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, arguing the points the eight men made in their statements and defending his actions.

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Martin Luther King is not just an African-American who wants to protest against injustice. However, he is the “president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every

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April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was locked up at Birmingham jail for protesting without a permit even though the protest was non-violent and peaceful. During his time in jail, the clergymen from Alabama’s communities condemned King’s ways of supporting the civil rights movement. They believed the right way was to through legal means and King’s actions are getting in the way of things. In his “letter from Birmingham Jail,” American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. alludes to the Bible, refutes the specific claim of criticism, juxtaposes contrasting ideas, asked rhetorical questions, and the use of repetition of words and phrases to address concerns brought up by the group of clergymen and justify his actions of non-violent direct

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Dr. King states, “There are just and there are unjust laws. I would agree with Saint Augustine that ‘An unjust law is no law at all. ’”(p.11). An unjust law is unfair to all people regardless of race. He alluded to Christian ideologies, because he wanted to show his central audience, which were the clergymen that, previously Christians agreed with his perspective on unjust laws , and how African Americans shouldn’t be deprived from their rights.

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Martin Luther King summary Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963 for breaking an unjust law against political demonstrations. After King was unjustly held without his right to a lawyer, he penned the letter from birmingham jail. To begin, Dr. King starts off by letting the clergymen know he gets a lot of "criticism," shall we say, and that he and his people mostly don't have time to pay attention to the haters. But in this case, he's making an exception and speaking for what he has accomplished in the civil rights movement. While critics said how he was an outsider involving himself in something he had no right to.

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Numerous laws are morally right, while other laws are completely illogical and aren’t morally right. He also exercises the importance of “Now”, why it’s important that they are given equal rights “Now”. King states he has heard “ The word “Wait!” and “It has ringed in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity,” along with “This wait has almost always meant ‘Never,” therefore “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” (Page 275, para. 13).

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On April 12, 1963, civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama. He was asked by an affiliate of his organization to partake in a nonviolent program. He was arrested during a non violent protest. Police Commissioner Eugene Connor declared that the reason behind King’s arrest was that he did not at have a permit to protest. While he served his 11 day sentence, King would write the “Letter From Birmingham City Jail” to the eight Birmingham Clergymen.

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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

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Houston Community College Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. Suman Kathayat Professor Rodolfo Villareal History 1302 15th June 2018 While incarcerated in a cramped cell at Birmingham City in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. drafted the letter titled a Letter from Birmingham Jail.

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King makes the point that a law is just if it follows the Law of God and Unjust if it doesn’t. King goes on further to explain a just law is a law that a “power majority group” wants a minority group to follow and is willing to follow the same law itself. On the other end of the spectrum an unjust law would be if the Majority group isn’t willing to follow the same law they are requiring a minority group to follow. With all of Kings bashing of laws in the letter King takes a step back to clarify that he doesn’t want everyone to go out and break the law, he says this would lead to anarchy. He also says “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.”

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specifically uses religion and his church to justify the Civil rights movement. The divine law in his religion states that everyone should be equal, and the law should treat people as such. However the laws in his society restricted both him and his community, and constantly placed them below others. He states on page 3 “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” (King, page 3).

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