Mlk Letter To Birmingham Jail

The Civil Rights Movement spanned between 1954 and 1968, which encompassed social movements in the United States aiming to end racial segregation and discrimination against African-Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the South, relying mainly on peaceful protests and boycotts. Although he was a dedicated activist, King also had a gift for rhetoric: his skillful use of language energized supporters of the civil rights movement to continue to fight for justice. This talent was exemplified in 1963 during his incarceration in Birmingham, Alabama when eight prominent Alabaman clergymen published a statement in local newspapers urging African-Americans to withdraw

Martin Luther King, Jr. begins his letter by defending his presence in Birmingham by using analogies and allusions. King feels the need to account for the reasoning behind his presence in Birmingham since the clergymen had been “influenced by the view which argues against ‘outsiders coming in'” (125). He begins by stating that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which is composed of eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South. He then states one of its affiliates in Birmingham had invited the SCLC to “engage in a nonviolent direct-action program” because of the growing racial issues in the city (King 125). Therefore, King rightfully insists, “I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here” (125). Moreover, King provides another vital justification for his presence: “I am here because injustice is here” (125). While he has been invited to Birmingham, he is also there because he feels a strong moral obligation to support those in need. To defend himself, King creates an analogy between the SCLC and eighth-century prophets who carried the word of the Lord to other areas of the world. He compares himself, specifically, to the Apostle Paul of Tarsus who left his village to spread “the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world” (King 125). King is compelled to carry the “gospel of freedom” to areas beyond his immediate vicinity and must always respond when people are in

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. His argument utilizes logic to empower his audience to be conscious of the injustices plaguing the world and work toward rectifying them rather than blindly obeying