The letter written by Dr. King from the Birmingham Jail was addressed to his fellow clergyman, however when taken as a whole this writer beings to understand his audience is not limited to such a small ecclesiastic circle. In the letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King addressed multiple groups he felt contributed to the racial divide in Birmingham, namely the white majority, the Religious groups and the Moderate whites. Each group contributed to the racist climate through direct action, inaction or quiet consent.…
In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from jail in Birmingham, Alabama in response to a public statement issued by eight white clergyman calling his actions “ unwise and untimely”. African Americans have been waiting to have there civil rights of freedom, but the social courts has requested them not protest on the street but to take it to court. Dr. King wrote, “This wait has almost always meant never.” This is why Dr. king addresses this matter in a letter about the battle of segregation. He hopes that this letter will stop this injustice matter, and show what the African American desire. Furthermore, Dr. King had four steps to achieve his goals by collecting facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct…
The early 1960s was an era of change in the United States. African-Americans led a campaign, known as the civil rights movement, to gain the freedoms and rights they had been unjustly denied. One of the leaders of the movement was Martin Luther King Jr., a Georgian minister and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He traveled the nation to help lead nonviolent protests and fight discrimination. King's toughest challenge came in Birmingham, Alabama, where the movement was forcefully put down by the local government. In April 1963, King was arrested in Birmingham for leading the protests. While serving his sentence, he responded to a local letter published by Alabama clergymen in the newspaper. In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King explains what the civil rights movement stands for, what injustices African-Americans face, and why their actions are justified. To achieve his purpose, King eloquently organizes his letter, employs numerous rhetorical devices, and uses logos, pathos, and ethos. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is an incredible literary and historical work,…
Through Martin Luther King Jr.’s 39 years of life, he impacted millions across the globe with his letters and speeches. For most of his life, King used his strong ability with words to inspire and call people to action in many cases. King’s words were so moving because no matter black or white, King understood the issues people experienced daily. I believe Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was so impactful because of the way he persuaded people why civil disobedience was necessary and what caused him to break the law with his strong use of ethos, logos and pathos, and by answering the concerns of the people.…
Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a response to Dr. King's follow clergymen criticism. The topic of Dr. Kings letters from a Birmingham prison is the nonviolent protest being done in Birmingham, Alabama in the fight for African Americans civil rights. Some clergymen, mostly white American men, believe the nonviolent protest Dr. King and African Americans were during was "unwise" and "untimely". The main argument Dr. King is making in the letter is the protest being done in Birmingham is "wise" and most important "timely". The way Dr. King constructs his argument is as if he was preaching his argument to his congregation. Take for instance when the part of the letter when Dr. King talks about different men, both biblical…
Martin Luther King Jr. is known for his nonviolent approach to gain freedom for the African American community. He gained much respect and has become a figure to appreciate. At a time of so much oppression, he refused to abide by the Whites and wanted to abide by both Whites and Blacks. In his famous letter at Birmingham Jail, he addresses the topic of acting now and acting with the full support of everyone. In this way he is similar to Malcolm X who also wanted the Africans to stand up against the oppressors.…
Dr. King explains that he is in Birmingham because there is injustice there. He first explains that the SCLC and the Alabama Christina Movement for Human Rights are affiliates and that he was invited to Birmingham to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if deemed necessary. He then goes on to talk about how he cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. He then tells his readers of some of the injustices that had happened to the people of Birmingham such as the broken promises of the merchants to unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches. Then Dr. King goes to explain that they had no alternative except to prepare for direct action.…
Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was written in response to the violent racist terrorist attacks toward the African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as to respond to the criticism he received about his work in a respectful, yet powerful way. He was arrested and sent to jail while participating in a non-violent anti-segregation march because he had no permit. Treatment of African Americans were unfair and un-American and Dr. King had enough of the way African American’s were treated and in his letter wrote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere.” In order to spread freedom throughout Birmingham, Dr. King followed through with a plan built on facts, negotiation, and non-violent direct action mainly in the form…
Martin Luther King Junior got put in jail for peaceful protesting to get everyone equal rights. While King was in jail, he wrote a letter to the church explaining why everyone should be treated equally, no matter their skin color. King uses metaphors and rhetorical questions to influence and inspire his readers, to stop segregation; it is unfair to treat people differently just because of their skin color.…
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail for an “unwise and untimely” protest against how blacks were treated in Birmingham, Alabama. When in Jail he received a newspaper that had a “ Statement by Alabama Clergymen”, in the article, it stated how they need to handle the racial problems in a different manner. They never directly mentioned King’s name, but they strongly wrote how they felt about the protest. When King saw the statement, he decided to reply. His whole goal in the letter is to explain to the ministers the reasonings behind the actions that took place in Birmingham. King addresses the Clergymen in a polite and professional manner. In the beginning he sweattalkes them, he calls them “men of genuine good” and he says normally he wouldn't have time to answer their questions, but because they are good guys, King will put the time in to get back to them. He says all this to get their attention, and to get…
On January 15, 1929 a very important person was born, even though they didn't know it at the time. It was Martin Luther King Jr., he had done a lot of great things over his life. Martin is a very important person in our history of civil rights movement.…
In April of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama. He was charged with parading without a permit. Before being arrested, he was there supporting and leading the African-American civil rights movement. King was a man of religion, education, and also a figure for the civil rights movement in the 1900s. One of the points he expresses in his letter is the difference between a just and unjust law, a morally right law compared to a morally wrong law.…
In addition, Martin Luther King Jr. had numerous hopes in what he wanted to accomplish. Martin Luther King Jr. used the strategy of fighting in a peaceful way to seek equality and challenge the unjust authorities (King, Martin Luther, Jr. 9). MLK suggested that the best way to end with segregation was under nonviolent protests. Government was holding a ironic position by proclaiming segregation as unconstitutional but allowing other states to practice it (Parel, “Civil Disobedience”). As an activist against segregation, King wanted to culminate segregation in every corner of the country; which was a problem that was generating unemployment (“Martin Luther King, Jr.”). Even though people were…
“One day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers,” stated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous speech. Loads of different groups of people live with each other to fashion a unique community. Our differences should only lift us up, not tear us apart as various people associate with racial inequality. As we follow in his footsteps on the path to equality, we must remember what he completed that made him that meaningful and memorable in the Civil Rights act, which has tried to stop inequality. He was an extremely influential man to innumerable people not just Americans, because he promoted peace and equality by nonviolent protests…
Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a pivotal leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King was an advocate for civil disobedience and peaceful protest. In 1963, following his arrest during a protest in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” where various sources of oppression were described along with how to combat such oppression. In the letter, Martin Luther King, Jr. explained promises made to the African Community for equality that were never met. As a result of the broken promises, Dr. King called for pressure to be put on the authority figures who instigated such oppression. Dr. King described the pressure as a “direct action” and that the pressure would force negotiation to occur. Negative emotions were in the African American Community. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote that these emotions could manifest themselves a violence, if not expressed. However, Dr. King warned against acts of violence to achieve the desired end of equality. In the letter, Martin Luther King, Jr. revealed to white leaders the racism faced by African Americans and the difficulties faced by the children of this…