Similarities Between I Have A Dream And A Letter From Birmingham Jail

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a group that was marching on Washington. The speech would be memorized by many school children as one of the greatest and highly significant in American history. “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was not a speech, but a letter to 8 clergymen written on scrap paper while sitting in a jail cell. The letter was in response to the clergymen’s negative remarks on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s approach to civil rights. Again, it became valuable to American history. Although the “I have a Dream Speech” and “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” are in two different settings and written for two different reasons, Martin Luther King Jr presents several of the same themes which are the importance of children growing up without prejudice, references to the founding fathers, and a theme that makes it clear he wants everyone to join in the cause. Martin Luther King Jr. wishes that black children could grow up in a world where they were not excluded from activities because they were black. He expresses great concern in both speeches. He does not want black children to grow up resenting white people. King

The “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” devotes a great deal of time talking about how he wishes the white moderate would have already joined in the battle and how disappointed he was that they had not (Howard-Pitney 82). The letter is written since he is disappointed in the 8 white clergymen because they should already be on his side. However, their opinion points toward the opposite (Howard-Pitney 86). He writes about these points because he would rather work together in brotherhood. He makes it clearer in the “I have Dream” speech when he says “the battlements of injustice must be carried by a biracial army. We cannot walk alone” and that white freedom “is inextricably bound to our freedom” (Howard-Pitney