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Analysis of Martin Luther King's Letters to the Birmingham Jail
Analysis of Martin Luther King's Letters to the Birmingham Jail
Analysis of Martin Luther King's Letters to the Birmingham Jail
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No matter what anyone says and thinks, without first hand experience of segregation, lynching, brutality, and inequality one can not understand how urgent such civil rights are and how waiting is not an option. “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair”(Dr. King 2). Dr. King is speaking to the fact
On April 12, 1963, eight clergymen wrote an open letter, “A Call for Unity”. In this published letter, the clergymen expressed their strong disapproval of the civil rights demonstrations taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. That same day, civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for protesting without a permit. In his short eleven-day jail sentence, Dr. King directly responded to the clergymen with a letter of his own. In his letter, Dr. King informed his readers about the protests in Birmingham.
A Great Society? Martin Luther King Jr. and president Lyndon B Johnson letters both took place in the 1900’s. As for Martin Luther King Jr. he explained why he was in the South to protest and also why he was so upset with the different allegations. President Lyndon B Johnson explained how he wanted everyone to come together and ask themselves if they were doing enough to make peace in the world. As, I further read I realize both of these men in some way helped society today.
In the text “Letters from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. had to come to terms with the growing injustice against the black community and the condition that grew due to the lack of speed of action. Society was taking a slow path to uphold certain laws but was not moving on others, even though the higher courts supported a change. Martin Luther King Jr, felt it was necessary to disobey unlawful rulings such as aiding those persecuted because of their religious belief, while upholding those that were lawful. The example used was of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar, or other Christians facing death by lions to stay true to their calling.
King and the Personal Plea Read Martin Luther King's "Letter From The Birmingham Jail" from your course pack and answer the following questions: 1. How does King use his personal experience to make his point? King’s personal experience during his stay in the Birmingham jail letter is based on his daily life experiences. Since Birmingham was one of the most racist places during the fifties and sixties, King found a need to go there and speak up against the racial injustices which were taking place.
As of the year 2016, there are an estimated 324,118,787 people living in America. 324,118,787 people consider themselves to be Americans and 324,118,787 people have decided that America really is worthy enough to be called home. These people, whether they were born within the country or emigrated from another country, comingle in this melting pot of a nation, sharing grocery stores and hospitals and neighborhoods and all the ideologies that make up American society, and each of these people have their own lives and opinions and personal beliefs. All of these people, all (roughly) 324,118,787 of them, fall under the definition of an American – a person who lives in America, because there is simply no other way to define what an American is when
I believe that paragraphs 9 and 12 from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” are the strongest paragraphs in this letter of his. These paragraph is so profound and truly explain why segregation is unjust in two short paragraphs. They don’t go into a lot of detail on why segregation is unjust, because they don’t need to. They’re argument is strong enough with how short they are. Since these paragraphs give an easy to understand and short reasoning as to why segregation is unjust, explains what makes a law just or unjust, and show that just laws can be unjust when applied to situations such as segregation, I believe they are the strongest paragraphs in this letter.
“Letter from Jail” On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated. Dr. King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham, Alabama and other areas within the United States. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community. Dr. King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community, he also went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years, which he felt like it could change. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement.
The Ephebic Oath's commitment to leaving our city greater than we found it embraces a responsibility that includes protecting and obeying the law. This echoes the beliefs and philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King and Greta Thunberg. Dr. King, in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," stated that violating a law can, paradoxically, demonstrate one of the highest respects for the law. The Oath is a promise that says everyone should obey the law. However, I believe that laws with negative impacts on people should not be followed.
Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote a letter referring Birmingham, Alabama as “Bombingham.” In the late summer of 1963 King wrote his unforgettable letter, “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” responding to the criticism from eight prominent white clergy man. They say the letter was smuggled out on ragged toilet paper by King’s lawyer. The letter exemplifies King’s negative feelings towards the unjust events taking place in Birmingham during the 1960’s. The letter is sought out to appeal to various audiences.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” “defends the use of non-violent protest to fight racism, and based upon Christian beliefs and natural law, he explains why people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws” (viii). This text relates to the CIT claim, “The dignity of every human being is inviolable and the commitment to justice for the common good is necessary.” “All human beings- regardless of their race, gender, religion, class, ethnicity, or sexual orientation- have innate dignity and it is our responsibility to respect that dignity, in ourselves and in others” (ix). The reason for Dr. King’s presence in Birmingham was because injustice was there.
During the 1960s even though Blacks and White shared the same faith, they could not share the same church pew because of the racial barrier that was prevalent in that time between the two races. Churches have always been a safe place for Blacks and Whites to retreat to when needed, but they were never integrated. Blacks went to their churches, and Whites went to theirs. The church was one place where they could sit in peace surrounded by their fellow friends and family, and forget about the brutality happening right outside the doors. Since it was a safe haven the Blacks were not pushing for the churches to be integrated, and the Whites did not want their churches to be desegregated.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” defines a just law as “a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God” (16). I believe this to be a good definition because these don't discriminate and pull people apart. He defines an unjust law as “a code that is out of harmony with the moral law”(16). Though I do agree with this definition, I more agree with St. Thomas Aquinas, (a prominent medieval philosopher and theologian known for his synthesis of Christian theology with Aristotelian philosophy, which had a profound influence on Western thought). Dr King quoted Aquinas when he said “An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law”(16).
There are different concepts about the American dream. To some people the American Dream is to have the freedom America offers. To others it’s may be the chance to be able to raise their kids in the Americas. The American Dream inspire people to want to live a better life. To some people it is a dream to come to America and have a chance to reach the unreachable American dream.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in 1963, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Before the civil rights movement, the nation had the civil war, from 1861 to 1865. Then, following the war added the 13th amendment to the constitution, which made slavery illegal on December 6, 1865. Consequently, after the civil war the south went under “reconstruction”, a period in time where the federal government aided in rebuilding the southern states. Once President Hayes was elected federal troops were pulled out of the south, nevertheless supremacists began to enforce segregation and limited African Americans from voting.
