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Dr King Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Letter from Birmingham Jail The Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is important to understanding American history because it explains that even if blacks followed the laws provided for by the Constitution, they still were not treated as equals to whites. At the time, Dr. King was President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights group. In 1963, he was asked to bring his group to Birmingham, Alabama for a peaceful protest against the segregation and racism that existed in Birmingham. Dr. King was determined to speak out and speak up and ignored the orders to stop the demonstration by police. The Letter from Birmingham Jail is significant in our history because Dr. King explains why he stood by his principles, …show more content…

Dr. King’s letter is filled with powerful statements and information to assist people in understanding the injustice and discrimination impacting blacks in Alabama and in other states. Although many northerners believed that the racism in the south was not important to them, Dr. King emphasized, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere” (King). Dr. King urged northerners not to stand silent and instead understand that what was going on in the south easily could spread to the north. Dr. King’s letter also addressed whether all laws must be followed. King stated, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a mode that is out of harmony with the moral law” (King). Dr. King emphasized that there are certain laws that people should follow, while there are others that people should not follow because they are morally wrong. For example, Americans should follow the Brown v. Board of Education ruling because it is morally right. However, the country should not follow segregation because it is morally wrong. His words emphasized his beliefs about what should be the foundation of our country given the rights

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In Doctor Martin Luther king’s letter from a Birmingham jail, he transmits a message from the nonviolence protestors to the Birmingham clergymen about the injustice against black people. Dr. King was arrested and sent to jail in order to hold the protests. During 1963, segregation was taking over Birmingham, churches, libraries and even businesses were facing violence and constant discrimination, leaving the city a difficult and unsafe place to live for many African Americans. Through his letter, Dr. King expresses his disappointment with Birmingham and those who criticized his beliefs and movement. He defended his right to be there transmitting feelings and emotions on the matter.

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(Paragraph 4). This drew the clergymen’s attention to King’s beliefs and possibly made them realize the flaws in the system. King also states, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law…” (Paragraph 5).

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Letter from the Birmingham Jail, a letter created by the one and only Martin Luther King Jr.(MLK). This letter was inscribed April 16, 1963 within the walls of MLK's cell at the Birmingham jail. The contents of his writing defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. Martin Luther King Jr states a commonly asked question “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth?

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In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a peaceful movement in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the demonstration was to bring awareness and end to racial disparity in Birmingham. Later that night, King and his followers were detained by city authorities. While in custody, King wrote the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This letter voiced out his disappointment in the criticisms, and oppositions that the general public and clergy peers obtained.

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“The Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a letter to eight white clergymen who responded towards King’s acts of protests of segregation. Segregation in the 1960’s was alive and well in the U.S but mainly in Birmingham, Alabama. King went to the city of Birmingham because of the injustice that was happening to fellow black Americans, blacks were limited to their rights, black Americans had a hard time to vote, had to give up their seats on buses, had to use different restrooms, and many other daily issues. King went into Birmingham to protest segregation, which is the separation of groups because of their racial differences, and King wanted an immediate stop to it. “The Letter from Birmingham Jail” is an effective letter.

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The letter from Birmingham Jail, written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while in a jail cell was written to address certain problems going on in the African-American community. The letter was especially directed towards the clergymen. Martin states how his protests were considered unwise and ferocious, but in reality, his protests were nonviolent and the police were the ones who ignited the violence. King explains the necessary steps for a nonviolent campaign and states that Birmingham in his eyes is the most segregated city in the United States mentioning that there have been more African American bombings in Birmingham than in any other city. When the time for negotiating arrived certain agreements were promised, but they later realized they had been lied to once again.

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In paragraph 9 King states “there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws (6),” and then continues with King stating “Now, what is the difference between the two? (7)” What is the difference between an unjust law and a just law? King goes on to explain that a just law is one that “squares with the moral

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Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail, argues against criticism from eight Alabama clergymen, and addresses their concerns. He defends his position, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), against accusations of disturbing the peace in Birmingham, as well as explaining his values and opinions. Throughout the letter, King adopts a strong logical and credible tone, and reinforces his position through the use of strong emotional justifications, in order to appeal to the clergymen and defend his public image. Martin Luther King opens up his Letter from Birmingham City Jail by appealing to the clergymen's emotions, and assuring his peaceful response, which he describes in "patient and

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A Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is a name that will never be forgotten, and that will go down in the books for all of time. He was foremost a civil rights activist throughout the 1950s and 1960s. during his lifetime, which lasted from January of 1929 to April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and a social activist and was known for his non- violent protests. He believed that all people, no matter the color, have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take a direct action rather than waiting forever for justice to come through and finally be resolved. In the Spring of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a speech that Birmingham was among one of the most segregated cities in the world.

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Letter from a Birmingham City Jail is an important piece of American literature written by Martin Luther King during a crucial time of the American Civil Right Movement. The essay highlights the racial tension in the American deep-south, so-called the Bible belt. King exemplified the mistreatment of African-Americans brought on by policemen and the biased political structure that geared toward white American rather than equality. King cleverly employed several strategies such as showing the cause and effect, compare and contrast, and exemplifying to justify his actions. The letter was one of the catalysts in aiding black Americans to regain their civil rights as American citizens.

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“Letter from a Birmingham Jail”- by Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail because he had been marching against racial segregation. Marched into downtown Birmingham to protest the existing segregation laws; all were arrested. While he was in jail, he wrote a letter as a response to the “Call of Unity” a statement by some of the Birmingham. Clergymen who felt that King was wrong to show trouble in the street.

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He defines a just law as “a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God,” while defining an unjust law as “a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” (King 128). He argues that unjust laws hurt not only the oppressed but also the oppressor because the oppressor has been given a “false sense of superiority” while the oppressed, a “false sense of inferiority” (King 129). Thus, people have the moral obligation to defy laws that are unjust and obey laws that are just. King proceeds to write about segregation, describing it as unjust because “segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality”; therefore, it is a law worth opposition. King attests that one who breaks an unjust law must be willing to accept the penalty given in order to avoid anarchy and lead to a positive societal impact.

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Martin Luther King Jr was born on January 15th, 1929. He grew up in a desolate rural area in Atlanta, Georgia. As Martin Luther King was growing up, he experienced the effects of racism first hand. At this time Black people were in-equal to White people and Martin Luther King was affected by this in his day to day routines. An example of the unjustness that Black Americans faced was when they wanted to eat at a restaurant then they had to sit in a separate section of the restaurant, or even when they wanted to buy shoes they were served at the back of the store.

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Now that king established the theory of Just and Unjust laws he then explains the difference between a just and unjust law, King says just laws “square with moral law” meaning the law agrees with the law of god. An unjust law is the opposite; the

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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

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