ipl-logo

Summary Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

568 Words3 Pages

In 1963, Martin Luther King was imprisoned in Birmingham because of his protesting contributes. During this time, there was segregation going on which prohibited African Americans from using particular areas or any type of services in all. King had written a letter in response to the eight white clergymen who criticized King's actions. In the "Letter from Birmingham jail" King defends the lawfulness of protesting, breaking the law in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation and racism. The major premise here is that all laws that devalue the human disposition are unjust. The white clergymen who conveyed objection to King's actions, felt that his actions was breaking the law and causing chaos. King argues that the laws of the segregated …show more content…

He also includes some part of inductive reasoning in his argument. For example, King’s uses inductive reasoning when he talks about the experience of being held under the law of segregation. King argues that white men expect for black men to put seeking for justice on hold but if the shoe was on the other foot they would not be able to wait for justice to be served either. He use an example of telling his daughter that she could not go to the amusement park because she was black and because she started feeling like she was below white people it was a perfect example of why blacks could not wait for justice to be served. Throughout the "Letter" King show ample amounts of validity to prove how he's right. Another point of view of kings defensive argument is his famous quote that state “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” implies that the white race falls victim to discrimination just as the black race falls to discrimination. Although King had his opinion about the two races which was very complicated the "Letter" that he wrote states that discrimination affects everyone of all kind. This "Letter" is more factual due to the fact of how King keeps a steady and remorseful tone throughout the "Letter". Within this text, King's argument do rely on some assumptions. For example the assumption that king make in, his argument is that Christians will agree with just because they are

Show More
Related
939 Words | 4 Pages

King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail 1. What, according to King, is the purpose of direct action, and why does the SCLC engage in direct action rather than in negotiation? Through negotiation is helpful and a strong method to use when wanting to revolt and turn against an unfair system, direct action is way stronger. Direct action, as described and explained by King, is important because it creates an uncomfortable environment for people versus the usual safe and calm environment.

Read More
1451 Words | 6 Pages

It it either works for everyone or it works for no one. Segregation can not work for much longer and King was willing to do everything he could to make that known and I think reading his letter was just what needed to be said . Although King was a bit rushed for time and didn't have the proper conditions to write the letter he said everything he needed to say in a very well put argument and manner. He brought up his argument and he brought up counterarguments that fit perfectly into everyone's religion.

Read More
257 Words | 2 Pages

The letter from Birmingham jail is a strong persuasive letter, especially for its audience, clergymen. King used all kinds of methods, logos, ethos, pathos. He is very insightful about his audience. King, as a clergyman himself, understand what other clergymen’s perspective and what they believe in. To start this letter, King addresses the recipient as “dear fellow clergymen”.

Read More
333 Words | 2 Pages

In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”: Just and Unjust Laws Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a letter to eight white clergymen while he’s sitting in a jail cell, the result of a protest in Birmingham, Alabama that King, a Georgian, traveled to attend. Due to the criticisms of the clergymen, he commences his letter by explaining why he needed to come to Birmingham. King states that he was there for a multitude of reasons, the first being that he had organizational ties to Birmingham, the second being that he was there because there was injustice in Birmingham. He states that as a citizen of America, injustice in Birmingham is not removed from justice anywhere else because everything is interrelated, and that injustice

Read More
175 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
895 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1060 Words | 5 Pages

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr responds to his fellow clergymen criticism by arguing that all people have a moral obligation to fight injustice. He educates people about the racial tension and injustice in Birmingham to show that racism has influenced the rest of the United States. King also differentiates between just and unjust laws in order to justify civil disobedience and having to break the state’s law when necessary. He states that African Americans can no longer wait for justice but they must band together to argue for their rights in nonviolent way. King writes this letter to defend civil disobedience so that the racial injustice that African Americans have been enduring can come to an end.

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

In 1963, Martin Luther King was arrested and put in jail unjustly as he was invited to participate in a nonviolent protest. It took place in Birmingham, Alabama. While he was in jail, he wrote a letter dedicated to the clergymen. He was clever expressing his ideas of resentment against these untrustworthy ministers. These people did not keep their promises of defending his people equal rights nor make any type of action to provide mutual respect in their society.

Read More
1302 Words | 6 Pages

These two paragraphs show, truly, how and why segregation was an unjust law without going into segregation itself, this is another reason I think that paragraphs 6 and 7 are the strongest in this letter. These paragraphs mention segregation and talk about a situation of segregation, but they never go into great detail on segregation. They merely talk about what makes a law unjust or just and with that they prove segregation was unjust. I think that because King can prove that segregation is an unjust law without going into segregation itself is amazing and that it helped to strengthen both his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and civil rights

Read More
1200 Words | 5 Pages

King says there are two types of laws one that is just which is a law that you have a legal and moral responsibility to follow. But then there are unjust laws and he says that a person has a moral responsibility to disobey those because they are no law at all. And he agrees with St Augustine when he states that "an unjust law is no law at all"(Augustine). Then King says that just laws uplifts human personality and unjust laws are a law that degrades human personality. And then he cleverly states that "segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.

Read More
957 Words | 4 Pages

“Letter from Jail” On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated. Dr. King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham, Alabama and other areas within the United States. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community. Dr. King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community, he also went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years, which he felt like it could change. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement.

Read More
1522 Words | 7 Pages

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

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

Essay #2: Argumentative Analysis Martin Luther King Jr. introduced a very controversial argument about why he believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”(264). In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King stated that justice is never given by the oppressor and the reason why his protests were very relevant and wise was because the issues needed to be addressed right then and not later. Moving along throughout his entire letter his primary thesis seemed to be that if the people wanted to be free from racial injustice they needed to participate in nonviolent protests. Given his setting and atmosphere, MLK did an extremely impressive job of using kairos and other rhetorical techniques in his piece.

Read More
959 Words | 4 Pages

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail because of a peaceful protest, protesting treatments of blacks in Birmingham. Before the protest a court ordered that protests couldn’t be held in Birmingham. While being held in Birmingham, King wrote what came to be known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Not even King himself could predict how much of an impact this letter would have on the Civil Rights Movement. In the letter kind defended Kings beliefs on Nonviolent Protests, King also counters the accusations of him breaking laws by categorizing segregation laws into just and unjust laws. King uses this principle to help persuade others to join him in his acts of civil disobedience.

Read More

More about Summary Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

Open Document