Did Martin Luther King Jr Respond To Letter From Birmingham Jail

Alyssa Buttars Professor Lee HIST 1700 26 April 2024 Response to Letter from Birmingham Jail The definition of democracy is: a system of government in which state power is vested in the people or the general population of a state. Or in King’s words, a government in which the will of the people can be freely expressed and exercised to bring about human rights and fundamental freedoms. In today’s United States democracy, everyone can vote, freely express their thoughts and feelings through nonviolent protests, and go to any public location alone or with their families without the fear of not being able to return to their homes (in general). In the letter Martin Luther King Jr wrote while inside a Birmingham jail, he describes some of the injustices

He is one of many civil rights leaders who fought for a more just and inclusive society. At this time in 1964, democracy was unequal in many forms. Although the United States ratified the 13th Amendment in 1865 which abolished slavery and geared the country towards equality, segregation and racism did not stop. Other laws, such as the 15th Amendment which was passed in 1870, that granted African American men the right to vote were violated as it was required to take a literacy test and pay a poll tax (which many African American men could not pass or afford and the government was fully aware of). Martin Luther King Jr would call this a law just in its face and unjust in its application (King 95). Even the 14th Amendment, which granted formerly enslaved people “equal protection under the laws,” was not applied as it was interpreted that African Americans had “engaged in insurrection.” So many of the laws in past history were made and never followed through. Loopholes were always found. This letter shows the status of democracy in Birmingham, Alabama in 1964, almost 100 years after the abolition of

A responsibility that I, and many others, am currently following in the United States is to pay my taxes, obey the laws, and contribute to community efforts. For example, donations or acts of service that benefit society. In the end, Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” has served as a basis for better communication across divides of ethnicity, culture, and beliefs. It has shown us the way to better perfect our democracy, and accordingly, what has hurt our relationship with democracy. It highlighted the fact that racial equality and civil rights were in fact not equal among ethnicities. It gives examples of injustices that African Americans had faced under their so-called “democracy” and that even in peaceful nonviolent protests African Americans were harshly beaten and could not fight back. His letter implores us to lead a better democracy by confronting injustice and taking collective action against injustice. This letter has personally affected my beliefs as now I realize how important it is to be an active citizen and speak for better rights for those who are