The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. is about the unfair, brutal, and racist treatment the black community has been receiving from white people. This letter was written when he was arrested after peacefully protesting about segregation and how the black people didn’t agree with the law. In the letter, Martin Luther King Jr.’s feelings are being expressed toward the unfair events and it is an example of a well-written argument. In the letter are three claims pointed from King, it states he has a valid reason for being in Birmingham, the black community has no alternative, but to demonstrate and the need for justice is urgent. Also, it discusses king’s intentions during the civil rights movements. For example, this letter includes Birmingham’s thrive and the struggle the black community went through. …show more content…
All king want is to help the black community get their rights. Also, he feels he has the need to stand up for the black community since no one else is brave enough to speak. Not only that, but he was invited to Birmingham. In the letter it states, “ So I, along with several members of my staff, I'm here because I was invited here, I am here because I have work organizational ties here.” (paragraph 2) this means king is not in Birmingham to just visit friends and family member ,but also he was invited. King develops this claim through the use of ethos when he called clergymen “men of genuine goodwill.” (paragraph 1) It states “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.” (paragraph 4) In conclusion, King is not only in Birmingham because he is invited but he feels the need to be there when something bad
The letter from Birmingham jail is an incredibly important document in the civil rights movement and American history. Written by the iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. while he was in jail in 1963, the letter is a powerful response to eight white clergymen who criticized Dr,King an the actions of the civil rights movement. In it,he eloquently defends both non-violent protest and civil disobedience,and explains why the fight for civil rights is essential and urgent. He discusses the history of racism its effects,and how images of justice,liberty and humanity have been distorted by racism and segregation. The letter stands as a timeless reminder of the importance of civil rights ,the power of free speech,and the duty of individuals
begins the letter by addressing the Clergymen respectfully, stating that they are “men of genuine good will” (MLK 1) so he felt that it was only right to address their concerns and grievances formally. He first explains that he is in Birmingham because he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing when injustice had been plaguing the city, writing that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (MLK 1). King determined that Birmingham is engulfed in racial injustices, that it is one of the most segregated communities in the nation. The negroes living in Birmingham experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts and that there have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches there than any other city in the nation. King writes that on account of such horrid conditions he found it necessary to first speak with the local merchants in order to try and rid of segregational signs and propaganda in hopes of eliminating some of the causes of the extreme inequality they experienced in their day to day lives in Birmingham.
During the 19th and 20th centuries there were numerous discussions and reflections about the social status of African-Americans, especially concerning their rights, and equality in comparison to the White Americans. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr in 1963, when African Americans were fighting for equality with the White Americans. King wrote this eloquent and profound letter while incarcerated in a prison in the city of Birmingham. In that letter, responding to criticism of his fellow members of the clergy, Dr. King explains to the world the purpose of its activities and choices. Indeed his colleagues were not adhering to its activities.
Now the exigence of King's Letter is while in Birmingham jail he reads the Clergymen's letter, and is responding to the clergymen who called his work "unwise and untimely" (Pg 175). It is rare that King
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he is addressing the Clergymen, more specifically the white church and its leadership who criticized his efforts in the civil rights movement, by calling his demonstrations unwise and untimely. He is also simultaneously addressing the national audience as well in letting them know of the injustices of the time. It was 1963, and Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter from inside a jail cell. He had been arrested during an anti-segregation march for not having a valid parading permit in Birmingham, Alabama. In this letter he addresses the criticisms that were brought forth to him.
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
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”.
The writer’s meticulous use of selection of detail, diction and deductive reasoning allows the reader to further understand the events that occurred along with the effects it had on the community as a whole. Those who disagreed with his actions were disproved through these rhetorical devices, allowing them to comprehend his reasoning for his behavior in Birmingham. Overall Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham jail is
Response to “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he responded to statements written in a Birmingham newspaper that criticized his actions in the city. He undermined these disapprovals by explaining his belief in nonviolent direct action. King also went on to give opinions on other topics, such as, the lack of support from white moderates and white churches. He used technique and structure to develop his ideas and justify his methods.
I believe that paragraphs 9 and 12 from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” are the strongest paragraphs in this letter of his. These paragraph is so profound and truly explain why segregation is unjust in two short paragraphs. They don’t go into a lot of detail on why segregation is unjust, because they don’t need to. They’re argument is strong enough with how short they are. Since these paragraphs give an easy to understand and short reasoning as to why segregation is unjust, explains what makes a law just or unjust, and show that just laws can be unjust when applied to situations such as segregation, I believe they are the strongest paragraphs in this letter.
Firstly, he started his letter by addressing to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” (King 812) to clarify that he had read the open letter criticizing his actions published by white clergymen in the newspaper. He believed these men were “of genuine good will” (King 813) so their criticisms deserve an answer. By saying that, King also declared his credibility as well as criticized his target audience without alienating himself from it. Secondly, he proved that he was not the “outsiders coming in” because he was the president of the SCLC which was based in Atlanta, but operated throughout the South with 85 affiliate organizations. Thus, he was in Birmingham on behalf of the SCLC because he was invited to “engage in a nonviolent direct-action program” (King 813) where racial issues grew serious.
Unlike many great civil right leaders that tried to end segregation, Martin Luther King did not just talk about the problem that they were facing in his speeches or letters. He included well thought throughout plans that will help solve the problems peacefully and he actually did get some things done from leading the African American civil right movement. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King uses valid historical context and figures to make his point. He also uses pathos, logos and ethos to affectively support his argument that what he was doing was just.
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.
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.
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.