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Letter From Birmingham Jail Thesis

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We the Students Essay Madison Jones Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. Peaceful resistance opens the eyes of many who may be blind to what’s really going on in the world. Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King discusses the increasing acts of violence and hatred towards African Americans in the U.S. King’s usage of raw imagery, pathos, and religious language portray the complicated relationship between the battered Negro and the common white man. King uses savage imagery to exemplify the brutality African Americans were subjected to at the time. King writes, “When you see the vast majority of your twenty million negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society” …show more content…

He mentions the African slave trade to show how slavery is a part of American history that will never be forgotten. Many people today overlook the U.S’s involvement in the African slave trade. King uses peaceful resistance to remind Americans of the U.S’s cruel treatments of African Americans in the past. King wrote this famous letter during a time filled with segregation and hatred towards African Americans. His letter awakens Americans by referencing how blacks have been mistreated by whites for decades. King challenges the idea that blacks are inferior to whites through peaceful protesting. King continues on in the letter to discuss how our free society is filled with people who prefer order over justice: “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice” (King). King recognizes that most people would rather not create tension or disruption,and choose to not …show more content…

Muhammad Ali exemplifies how peaceful resistance allows a person to stand by what they believe in despite the consequences. Ali expresses his sentiments towards the war: “ Why should me and other so-called “negroes” go 10,000 miles away from home, here in America, to drop bombs and bullets on other innocent brown people who’s never bothered us and I will say directly: No, I will not go” (Ali). Many Americans criticized Ali for “draft dodging” during the Vietnam War,but Ali accepted the consequences for his actions. Ali served five years and lost his boxing title for standing for what he believed was right. He preached non-aggression to thousands of Americans as he toured the U.S. speaking against the war. Peaceful resistance can be seen in today’s modern society. On Saturday, January 21 over 1 million men and women marched on Washington D.C. to speak out against the policies of the newly elected President Donald Trump. People from all of the U.S. came together to speak up about the rights of women, African Americans, immigrants, and the LGBT

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In the essay “Letters from Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King, there were several values that he expounded on. Martin Luther King were willing to give his life for what he believe in. Two values were justice and freedom of rights. Martin Luther King provides a moral reason why he went to Birmingham. He went to battle and fight “injustice.”

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1066 Words | 5 Pages

King stated that the black community has waited long enough. “We have waited for more than three hundred and forty years for our constitutional and God-given rights” (King 5). These are rights that everyone should have yet people had been neglected of them just because of their skin color. Other countries were making progress while they were stuck on an unnecessary issue. King uses a great analogy to explain this “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed toward the goal of political independence, and we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” (King 6).

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829 Words | 4 Pages

During the letter, he begins bringing up past events where people stood up for their freedom or rights. The first instance is alluding to the bible when he says, “Just as the prophets of the eighth-century b.c. left their villages” (375). Bringing up the prophets from the Bible further underlines his belief that blacks should stand up like the prophets and fight against the injustice. King then brings up the “Hungarian freedom fighters” (382) and their effort for freedom. The allusion conveys his point that freedom needs to be fought for, and segregation needs to be fought against.

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789 Words | 4 Pages

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

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652 Words | 3 Pages

Sympathy for the South “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. conveyed an array of emotion. While reading, I felt feelings ranging from hope to complete outrage. The most prevalent emotion for me was sympathy. I also felt a sense of gratitude for the changes we were able to make in our society and culture. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” did a great job of inspiring sympathy in its readers by sharing examples of injustice, violence and dehumanization as it related to African-Americans of that era.

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1066 Words | 5 Pages

He is trying to create the “kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood”. This would show new ways to enlighten people that it was no longer acceptable for African Americans to be treated unfairly by the government. This would lead King to protest for equal rights and he protested peacefully which created tensions between him and those that disagreed with him. Yet this tension was what he had wanted so that he and the people who were against him could have this compromise. This would show that

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448 Words | 2 Pages

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is set in a time of disturbing unrest, caused by racial issues between the blacks and whites of America. The year of 1963 went down as a rough year in the terms of violence, segregation, and living life everyday in an unpeaceful manner. Other than Martin Luther’s letter, many events also happened that shaped history as we have it today. During the months of April through August, Birmingham, AL and other towns had riots, speeches, and civil abruptness. The historical context represented in this time is shown greatly in not only the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” but in the news daily.

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MLK Jr. Birmingham Jail. “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty”. Born on January 15, 1929, a Baptist minister and active spokesperson during the Civil Rights era, Martin Luther King wrote a letter from Birmingham Jail. A little backstory on Martin Luther King, his birth name was actually Michael Luther King, his history of preachers or preaching originated in 1914-1931 with his grandfather and being a co-pastor with his father from 1960 to Martin’s death, also earning a B.A. degree before his death in 1948 from Morehouse College. Arrested thirty times in total for demonstrating and participating in peaceful protests against segregation, but in 1963 MLK wrote a letter from Birmingham Jail which shortly became the manifesto for the Civil Rights Movement.

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866 Words | 4 Pages

Civil rights leader and social activist Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a world renown correspondence, Letter From Birmingham Jail, in April of 1963, during a time when segregation was at it’s peak in the South. When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. In response to King’s peaceful protesting, the white community viewed “[his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist,” and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive.

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936 Words | 4 Pages

Letter from Birmingham Jail The 1960’s are commonly associated with terms like “hippie” and “flower child”. But while these terms definitely illustrate the 1960s, they depict the more iconic aspect of it. In actuality, the 1960’s were mainly defined by the struggle for civil rights, dominated by one of the most well-known and charismatic activists, Martin Luther King Jr. King, being an exceptionally gifted speaker, led many to practice a non-violent approach in the conquest for African American Civil Rights.

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568 Words | 3 Pages

King discusses his own personal experience with segregation and gives readers four steps to a peaceful protest. He also discusses the injustice law to reinforce in his society.

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312 Words | 2 Pages

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail," was written Dr. Martin Luther King in the year 1983. He wrote this letter when he was in jail in Alabama. He was arrested for participating in the arrangement and organization of a peaceful protest. The protest was into opposition to racial Segregation by Birmingham's government. In this letter, Luther uses his experience, knowledge, and perspectives to illustrate the trouble of the Black community.

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1202 Words | 5 Pages

Raeanna R. Essig Prof. Craig Case ENG 124.01 21 February 2017 Actions of Nonviolence Throughout the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King makes numerous profound statements that transcend through the ages. King wrote this famous letter while imprisoned for being involved in various nonviolent campaigns. King, not harboring any fear of retribution for his bold statements, uses a simple letter address the sensitive issues of segregation and racism directly. King writes a highly adequate and powerful response to the circumstances prompting the letter, while also teaching lessons on the correct way to fight for equality. When Martin and his follower’s direct nonviolent methods are being questioned by the fellow clergy members,

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1641 Words | 7 Pages

Many people listen to him and use him as a source of hope to fight against racial issues. He is a symbol to African Americans as Wapshott stated, "Africans found a particularly poignant message in King’s plea for racial tolerance and his declaration that “the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” " His speech put forth the harsh realities African Americans face and wants to fight against them. King realizes that his people are wrongly treated and that they should not be put into separate schools and bathrooms just because of the color of one's skin. The beauty of King's speech is that he did not incite violence to fight against the horrible treatment of African Americans as he explained, "Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to

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1136 Words | 5 Pages

To this, King set forth an array of misdeeds of the police and it was easy to judge whether they were laudable. King also used lots of rhetorical skills in the letter, including parallelism, ethos, and pathos. For example, he used parallelism when he described the conditions of Negroes: “when you have seen vicious mobs…”, “when you are humiliated day in and day out…”, and “when your wife and mother are never given the respected title…”, hoping that the clergymen and other officers could identify themselves with the Negroes and understand them. The letter was of great importance because it outlined the conditions of African Americans, defended civil rights movements, and illustrated the measures Martin Luther King and other civil rights activists took in the movements. It is still important today because it provides an opportunity for us to witness and reflect on the

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