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Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter while in jail addressing clergymen for several criticisms. The clergymen, agreed that social injustices existed but argued that the fight against racial segregation should be fought in the courts, not the streets. He refers the demonstrators as “outsiders” and calls it untimely requesting the Negro community to withdraw support from the demonstration, and urges the local community and law enforcement to continue to show restraint against them while protecting their city from any unwanted violence. Dr. King responded as an African American father, a minister, and activist. He defended his rights to be there in an upfront, impassive tone. Just as Thomas Jefferson wrote in “The Declaration of Independence” that all men are created equal and made it a point that if any form of Government becomes unhelpful “it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it…” (WP. Jefferson P. 696) Dr. King believes the clergymen have rushed to the conclusion in criticizing the demonstrators without equally exploring the racist causes of the …show more content…

King reasons for being in Birmingham are very obvious, as Jefferson stated in The Declaration of Independence, the people have a right to fight for any injustices that has been done. The law prevented Dr. King his First Amendment, freedom of speech. “So I can urge men to obey 1954 decision of the Subprime Court because it is morally right, and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances because they morally wrong.” (WP. King. P. 722) As the clergymen refer to Dr. King and the others as “outsiders” he replies back “Anyone who lives inside of the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere in this country.” (WP. King P. 719) As Dr. King makes the connection with The Declaration of Independence as to all men are created equal, therefore there are no outsiders in Birmingham, nor has disobeyed any laws, because the so call laws the clergymen were referring to were unjust

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He points out is due to the fact that there’s injustice in the city of Birmingham that he is there. “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation” (king, 1963, p.1, para.3).

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“I am in Birmingham because unjustice is here...calling for aid” (Springboard book, 207). The cruel reality was that in Birmingham they were unjustice and they descriminated the blacks. Marthin Luther King Jr. was against the laws and customs, for this reason, he came to Birmingham because he felt like the blacks

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On April 16, 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. while confined in the Birmingham City Jail wrote a letter to the clergymen whom disapproved of his actions by calling him and other nonconformists “outsiders coming in”. During the civil rights movement the city of Birmingham was known to be one of the most segregated city in the United States. The City of Birmingham was known for its police brutality against blacks. They’re where also many unsolved cases such as bombing of homes and churches occupied by blacks. Kings letter was an opportunity for him to express the purpose behind the nonviolent campaign.

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In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.

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Kings letter opens with his argument responding to what these eight men wrote; they wrote a newspaper ad “A Call for Unity”. In the newspaper ad the clergymen say, “When rights are consistently denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and in negotiations among local leaders, and not in the streets” (583). The eight clergymen say they want to help King and his follows; however, they are not willing to enforce it. In addition the newspaper ad states, “We are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders” (583). King and his staff are being called “outsiders”, King counters “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds” (584).

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King goes on to explain that he's not an outsider, as they claimed. The protesters are based in Atlanta, and they've been called to Birmingham by a local affiliate. The clergymen have made an error in criticizing the protestors without equally exploring the racist causes of the injustice that is being protested in their state of Birmingham. King then explains in

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came in a time where people of color had no rights to vote, to sit in front of the bus, the right to a decent job, the opportunity to a quality education, and most of all they were not regarded as being equal to other race, such as Caucasians (Argosy University, 2015). In his letter to the clergy, Dr. King clearly explains how difficult it was for people of color to function in a society in which they were treated as less than humans compare to those of white color. With the ugly record of brutality, uncivilized unjust treatment, and the unsolved bombings to homes and churches of people of color Dr. King made his visit to Birmingham to address the issue of injustice by organizing a peaceful protest. With so many broken promises, hope gone and the shadow of disappointment settling upon them (Argosy University, 2015), Dr. King no longer believe in negotiation. His only option was a peaceful street protest and civil disobedience that will bring concerned leaders at the time to

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