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Summary Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

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On April 16th 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to his fellow clergymen from a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. M.L.K. was invited by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights to stage a nonviolent direct action program to protest against segregation, and the injustice being in Alabama. Though criticized heavily, he felt compelled to write a letter from the Birmingham city jail when he heard that a statement was put out by men that he believed to be genuinely good willed. His letter was addressed to his fellow clergymen who complained that his peaceful protest agitated the community, they also stated that the nonviolent protest was “unwise and untimely”. Martin Luther King’s letter was in direct response to the clergymen's statement.
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By reading both “Alabama Clergymen’s Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr” and “Letter from Birmingham City Jail- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr” the reader becomes aware of how passionate and rightfully life changing Martin Luther King Jr’s movements were. The first letter, sent to King by an Alabama clergymen, is an perfect representation of the painfully common defiance white leaders had towards the oppressed blacks. The clergymen also drops the classic “wait”, saying that if King stops his demonstrations, “equality” and “peace” will eventually ease into the white leaders minds. The second letter is written by King to the clergymen, addressing in the most calm way possible just how wrong he is, and how these demonstrations need to cause tension.

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In Dr. King’s letter, he is responding to the outside world by calling him and the individuals involved, unwise. Dr. King argues that for justice, they had no other choice but to do this. The three themes I noticed in this letter was; injustice, religion, and nonviolent actions. As we all know, Dr. King was all about nonviolent acts of protesting. In his letter, he writes, “Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary” (King).

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Martin Luther King, Jr. attempts to persuade clergymen to follow in his civil rights movement through exhibiting his knowledge over just and unjust laws, displaying peaceful behavior, and empathetic diction. King was very knowledgeable about laws and his right as a human. King stated laws in his letter to the clergymen, which displayed his credibility. He did not only state laws, he also stated just and unjust laws. King stated, “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?”

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Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great example, he fought for his country to gain this freedom even though he went to jail and went against the law trying to accomplish his goal. As the author states in his letter “ We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present because the goal of America is freedom”)(Luther King 240). Following Martin Luther King words we have the mission to accomplish this if we work together. At that time that Luther king wrote this letter the major problem was in Birmingham.

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Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" is an inquisitive piece of writing, written while MLK was imprisoned in Birmingham in 1963 for his peaceful protests against racial segregation. A response to a critical newspaper article published by local Clergymen, it challenges priorly accepted doctrines and makes many compelling arguments. King's most compelling statement is "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" because it the denounces toleration of injustice and those who allow it (King). When King says "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere", he is implying that if even the smallest act of unfairness is tolerated, it will take root and spread (King).

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The reason for open letters are so, that the author can get his/her point across in a time of need, on behalf of justice, or on behalf of others. In Dr.King’s open letter “The letter from Birmingham jail” is a mixture of both commentary genre and rebuttal microgenre as he commentates his opinions on the injustices that the blacks of the south face with the white supremacists, throughout the open letter Dr.King argues why the act of nonviolence is the best way to solve segregation in the south. The discomfort of being in jail for acting against racism gives Dr.King the motivation for writing this open letter, in the open letter, King expresses the discomfort of having that the racial justice of his people have been too long denied by stating

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Dr Martin Luther King decided to write a letter form jail because he was arrested for fighting for his and many others rights in Birmingham Alabama. The letter expresses the frustration that Martin Luther King has with the clergymen. Martin Luther King states, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. ”(king). Dr. King then went on to say it is his responsibility to attack injustice because he believes all communities are unified as one.

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The purpose of Martin Luther King's letter is to justify the reasoning for why the people of Birmingham (including him) were protesting. When the local clergymen (who were most likely white men) said that Martin Luther King was an outside agitator, it could paint a picture that the people protesting were "unruly" or destructive. So this letter clears up the misunderstanding that the people of Birmingham are unreasonable and destructive to those who would quickly feed onto the negative narrative that black people already have. Martin Luther King highlights the fact that Birmingham has been one of the most segregated cities in the United States and the black homes and churches of Birmingham being a target of bombing. He believed that this was

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Martin Luther King was a firm advocate of peaceful protests and actions to attain social change; however, these actions failed to bring equality. On April 10th, 1963 the city of Birmingham banned street marches without permission. When King refused to call off his demonstrations he was arrested on April 12, and placed in solitary confinement in the Birmingham Jail. While in jail King read the newspaper ad “A Call for Unity”, calling King’s activities “unwise and untimely”; this ad was a public statement signed by eight Alabama clergymen in protest to King’s actions. In response to this, King writes “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, arguing the points the eight men made in their statements and defending his actions.

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In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a peaceful movement in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the demonstration was to bring awareness and end to racial disparity in Birmingham. Later that night, King and his followers were detained by city authorities. While in custody, King wrote the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This letter voiced out his disappointment in the criticisms, and oppositions that the general public and clergy peers obtained.

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On April 12, 1963, eight clergymen wrote an open letter, “A Call for Unity”. In this published letter, the clergymen expressed their strong disapproval of the civil rights demonstrations taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. That same day, civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for protesting without a permit. In his short eleven-day jail sentence, Dr. King directly responded to the clergymen with a letter of his own. In his letter, Dr. King informed his readers about the protests in Birmingham.

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Martin Luther king Jr. was one of the most influential people during the Civil Rights era and was responsible for changing the lives of all African Americans in America. He was a leader of his time; on a mission to gain freedom from segregation and derivation of rights for all minorities in the south. As a Political Leader, Martin Luther King Jr. had many followers, but just the same, he also had criticizers. In his letter addressed to the Clergymen titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963)”, Martin Luther King Jr. speaks as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Council and answers to questions and concerns of his participation and demonstration of nonviolent actions against political wrong doings that resulted in the imprisonment of Martin Luther King Jr. and several other protestors. Martin Luther King Jr. felt the need to address the concerns of his criticizers who thought that his actions were misguided and impetuous.

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King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice

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Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote a letter referring Birmingham, Alabama as “Bombingham.” In the late summer of 1963 King wrote his unforgettable letter, “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” responding to the criticism from eight prominent white clergy man. They say the letter was smuggled out on ragged toilet paper by King’s lawyer. The letter exemplifies King’s negative feelings towards the unjust events taking place in Birmingham during the 1960’s. The letter is sought out to appeal to various audiences.

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Martin Luther King Jr’s letter was written to persuade the people who threw him in jail to let black Americans have equal rights, and to express why he protests for the ending of segregation about unfair rights between black and white Americans. Martin Luther King Jr is writing from jail peacefully, and patiently, asking why black Americans don’t get equal rights, and he’s explaining how his protest shouldn’t have been the reason he was put in jail. Martin Luther King Jr is trying to explain how he wants to make the change of ending segregation, and reaching his goal, and that some laws are unfair, and that there should be justice served. The topics Martin wrote about how he wants justice, and and what a fair and unfair law is, plus what he wants to do to end

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