How Does King Present Tension In Letter From Birmingham Jail

It has been a topic of discussion whether segregation and racism still exist in American society. Although slavery was abolished in 1865, separation became the new issue nationwide. Segregation would be the more sophisticated term. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is written intended to address the racial issues that exist in Birmingham, Mississippi such as police brutality towards Negroes, the inequitable treatment they face, and the bombings that occur in churches and homes of African-Americans. According to King, Birmingham is the most segregated city in the nation which is why this letter is addressed from the city’s jail to the white clergymen. Martin Luther King’s choice of remaining non-violent throughout the “Letter

King references several Christian and German readings and philosophers so that the clergymen are able to relate to the issues addressed in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In doing this, he hopes to persuade the clergymen that anything unjust must be eliminated. He simply writes this letter so that all Negroes in the nation are looked at as equals to the clergymen and all whites instead of inferior. “I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight… in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality” (Comley 347). King makes it evident that whites and blacks cannot remain in the nation’s present situation. Martin Luther King’s knowledge on the unjust doings surrounding him makes the letter effective because he demonstrates that the next step of segregation must be creating justice for all

King’s determination does not allow him to give up until racial equality is reached. He begins to accomplish his objective of spreading the need to destroy isolation and achieve justice being served for all through his non-violent gesture of writing a letter to the eight white clergymen. Without Martin Luther King writing the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the Civil Rights Movement could have taken a longer time to leave an imprint on both blacks and whites. This letter proves to American society that King is willing to risk it all because of his devotion to removing all unjust laws. People are significantly moved by this letter since it gives them a feeling of trust that King would not surrender, furthermore motivating them to strengthen the rights of African