An Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

1963 could be considered the peak of the civil rights movement- with protests in Birmingham, the March on Washington, and the surfacing of Martin Luther King Jr.'s ground-breaking pieces "I Have A Dream" and "Letter from Birmingham Jail," the demand for civil rights had become a genuine American crisis. Dr. King wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while he was in custody with the intention to share with fellow Americans his grievances and explain the absolute necessity for protests in Birmingham. Almost a century prior, in 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his biting and passionate speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" on behalf of all the enslaved. Somewhat similar to Dr. King's letter, Douglass shares his own grievances regarding

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.

That’s why we have a Martin Luther King Jr. day and not a Malcolm X day. People should strive to be more like MLK, only then will we be on track for world peace. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers succeeded in showing America how to truly stand for freedom, how to truly achieve peace, how to truly be an “American”. Other Blacks like Malcolm X failed to do this, and he is a great example of what not to do. The only thing MLK failed at is living long enough to get his message of equality through everyone’s thick skull who still doesn’t get it.

People everywhere in our country look up to this man and see greatness, and that is because he did what nobody else did. He inspires many because when they think of him, they get reminded that fighting hate with hate doesn’t work. His inspiring and most popular speech, “I Have A Dream” focuses on how he hopes that one day, all negro’s can be equal to whites and be friends. The people of our country know that if we do as he did, our world can be a better place. Some people have realized that the only way is to forgive your enemies, but sadly most have not.

In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr addresses seven clergymen about a letter they wrote about King and his demonstrations with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King addresses these clergymen in a professional manner, but he also states the reasons why he and the rest of the protesters are protesting. Even though people have different views of the world, everyone has the same hopes and dreams for their country to be perfect. During Dr. King’s time the topic was about race. In today’s world there is the same topic but we have come a long way.

In John A. Salmond’s intriguing book My Mind Set on Freedom, he brings to light the hardships of the African American people during a movement that evidently shaped the future for a progressing country. Based on the fight for freedom in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, Salmond thrusts you into an epic battle that occurred for the oppressed African American race in America. Salmond’s main theme throughout the novel was that many great people battled the great evil of slavery/oppression, and waged an inevitable battle of triumph. “Nevertheless, the years between 1955 and 1968 saw the movement at its zenith, and it transformed the South and cleansed the nation of a great moral evil.”(162). In his viewpoint, Salmond explains the many occasions of racism throughout the South, and concedes their impact on the Civil rights movement; both good, and bad.

It’s dead silent as they walk.” In using nonviolence 600 people were able to come together to do what is right. They do not even need to speak to make a difference. All they have to do is walk peacefully to make the change they want in the world. Also another thought spoken was, “If we turn back, nothing will change!” and “We can’t give up now!” Nonviolence empowers people to make a difference, it heals what they are afraid of and it allows them to do what they should do and will do. Another factor is when the text mentions, “This fight takes courage.

For this reason, older African-Americans usually go to the youth at churches and schools to spread the awareness and knowledge about social groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). On the other hand, there were non-violent people like Martin Luther King Jr., and there were more “hands on” people like Malcolm X when it came to the equality of African-Americans. Even though both of these leaders are dead they left a huge impact on the black communities and even made more people come out and support the fight for justice. When I think about the Black Panther Party, I think about the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) that is going on today. There aren’t police beatings like Rodney King, but there are police killings like Sandra Bland.

Martin Luther King jr. lead the people in the fight for civil rights. He believed in integration of all races and wanted equality for him and his people. He wanted the right to vote for all blacks because he knew that that right would give the people a voice in a country they could call their own. One of King’s most memorable and impactful boycotts was the one that took place after Rosa Parks’ decision to stay seated at the front of a city bus. This boycott was known as the Montgomery bus boycott and it was protesting the racial segregation of public transportation.

The history of African Americans in the United States is a subject that embodies the majority of attention. When we are taught about the slave trade in the United States general focus tends to primarily gravitate to North America. We know that Slavery was the prominent product in the colonies which helped the economy to flourish. The forceful and horrendous transition slaves faced from Africa to Colonial America is exemplified as the prevalent victimized diaspora in U.S. history. There has been an ongoing struggle for black’s rights in the south Americas for several decades, Latin America is a region that imported over ten times as many slaves as the United States, and kept them in bondage far longer.