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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Brian Ezenwugo Political Science Mr. Somma December 1st, 2014 Letter From Birmingham Jail The Letter from Birmingham Jail is a document written by Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963. This letter defended the approach of peaceful accommodations to racial discrimination, debating that citizens have a just responsibility to break biased laws. This letter stands alone as one of the most influential documents of the civil rights era. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter was intended to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” (King, 1) Dr. King explained that he read the recent statement published by clergymen in a Birmingham newspaper, and how they described Dr. King’s latest actions in the town as ill advised and inopportune. He initially accredited the criticism and claimed that he was just one of the huge amount of black southerners that may cause mayhem in the streets. He is the president of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), centered in Atlanta, Georgia but managed through the South. He displays the magnitude of the group's expansive range, and then explains …show more content…

Throughout the letter he doesn’t solely address the clergymen's distress such as King looking on as an outcast coming in, the disputes and marches being irresponsible and ill timed, but he expected a deeper form of interrogation. The clergymen had a sense of urgency for conferences and meetings, in place of direct action, but King needed to illustrate that direct action is essential to reach fair negotiating terms. Besides just constructing arguments for this point and being unprepared for rebuttal, he anticipated questions that they might ask. King concentrated on interests from the competition during his entire letter. By addressing these trepidations in an unbiased and reasonable manner, he showed the audience that he gave an abundant amount of thought to their opinion and took them

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King wisely prefaces his letter by saying, “But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” King clearly states his intentions in writing the letter and addresses the audience as an equal, conveying companionship and brotherhood rather than bluntly arguing their thoughts to be incorrect and his reigning superior. In doing this, he makes it more likely for his audience to listen to his thoughts more with an open heart instead of becoming angered by his response, increasing the likelihood of the audience feeling understanding and respecting king as a person and as a leader. A particular section of King’s letter provides ample proof of his qualification to lead a revolution and crush the arguments of those who doubt him and his actions.

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In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama when he was arrested. He was arguing his point that he was wrongfully arrested and describing bigger issues in Birmingham. Martin Luther King Jr. had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march on the grounds that he did not have the right or permission to do so. He claims in his letter that he was invited there to protest. He says “I am here in Birmingham because injustice is here”.

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Ethos in Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was jailed for parading without a permit while in Birmingham, Alabama speaking out on the Civil Rights movement. Eight white clergymen published a letter in the local newspaper criticizing King’s actions and discrediting him as an outsider.

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He approaches his audience in a very calm and mature manner saying, “I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms”(King 1). He chooses to talk to his audience in a very non aggressive and confronting way, making it an effective letter. He is able to voice and argue his point without offending or attacking the opposing view. King establishes his common ground by mentioning that some of his audience is taken back by the idea of his traveling outside of his hometown to Birmingham, but he has the right to be doing so.

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A Letter from Birmingham Jail Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist that wrote an argumentative letter in response to an article written by the white moderate clergy of Birmingham Alabama. Dr. King’s letter was called “A letter from Birmingham Jail,” it was called this because he was in prison when he had wrote this. He was arrested for parading without a permit.

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At the beginning of the letter, King makes a claim that he is not an outsider. states the purpose of the letter. According to the text it states, "To answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms." . Paragraph two establishes a king as not being an outsider.

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In his open letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written on April 16, 1963, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King wrote this letter after he was arrested for being part of a non-violent protest, which was against racial segregation. The letter is in response to a declaration made by eight Alabama clergymen, “A Call for Unity,” on 12 April, 1963. The declaration stated that the existence of social injustice and racial segregation should be fight in court and not in the streets. Dr. King answered that without strong direct action, like his own, real civil rights could never be truly achieved.

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The purpose of “King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail” was to say that nonviolent resistance should be used to face racism. He was criticized by white religious leaders and encouraged by blacks. King was inspired to write the letter because he was an advocate for racial equality and he felt the people writing the letter were not. He also mentioned moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest.

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In “Letters from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr answers the clergymen's criticisms in a calm and collected way, acknowledging them and providing insight into his ideas rather than attacking and criticizing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr begins this letter by addressing his audience, the clergymen, as “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” This automatically shows that King is taking a more friendly, sincere approach to this rather than a confrontational approach. He is attempting to make them listen and agree with him and his ideas, not give them a reason to completely disregard what he is saying. Throughout the whole letter, King addresses the clergymen’s complaints and criticizes them, without directly attacking and accusing them.

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In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King expresses his opinions and thoughts in response to a letter written by eight clergymen. As a justification of his actions for his recent activities, King was put under scrutiny that his actions were “unwise and untimely”. The main concept King was supporting was that, “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

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has made an everlasting impact on we live our lives today; with his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King captured the appeal of the audience as he continued to lead the Civil Rights Movement. Leading the peaceful protests against segregation, there were many obstacles that stood in his way. As he led a march in Birmingham to take action on April 12, 1963, King was arrested and thrown into jail. On this day, a number of clergymen published an article that criticized King and his march. This event lead to the letter that would become one of the most important documents for the Civil Rights

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King did not know the white clergy, whom he called his letter. He hoped their eyes would have been open to the brutal segregation. One reason for writing to the other clergy was because the King felt that the white church let him down. Was he accusing the white minister of not aiding the end of segregation due to the fact that African-Americans are a different color by skin? Or was it just a way of stating he was disappointed in them?

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Birmingham Letter Saint Augustine, an early Christian philosopher, when discussing unjust laws stated “An unjust law is no law at all.” This was from the early 3rd century, yet it is still very relevant in King’s day. Martin Luther King Jr was a pastor and leader in the civil rights movement. He was thrown in jail in Birmingham in 1963. While he was confined in a small cell, he wrote a letter in response to a article the local clergymen wrote about him criticizing his movement.

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A Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is a name that will never be forgotten, and that will go down in the books for all of time. He was foremost a civil rights activist throughout the 1950s and 1960s. during his lifetime, which lasted from January of 1929 to April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and a social activist and was known for his non- violent protests. He believed that all people, no matter the color, have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take a direct action rather than waiting forever for justice to come through and finally be resolved. In the Spring of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a speech that Birmingham was among one of the most segregated cities in the world.

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King starts by giving respect to the men but also gives respect to himself and then explains to them what he thinks is right and wrong. Dr. King establishes himself to the eight clergymen in the beginning of the letter by saying “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia” (King 863). He explains his title to them and then goes on to say “So I am here, along with several other members of my staff, because we were invited here. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here. Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” (King 863).

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