Analysis Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

Houston Community College

Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King Jr.

Suman Kathayat
Professor Rodolfo Villareal
History 1302
15th June 2018 While incarcerated in a cramped cell at Birmingham City in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. drafted the letter titled a Letter from Birmingham Jail. The letter is less popular as compared to the I Have a Dream speech, but it represents the most significant words that Martin Luther King Jr. is well acknowledged for as an activist. Therefore, revealing that the letter has been underappreciated. Before drafting the letter, he had been arrested together with a group of his colleagues

used his letter to argue for the need and importance of direct action. He believed that the newly elected government under the leadership of Mr. Boutwell who he understood was a segregationist needed some level of persuasion. For that reason, he said that people had the moral obligation to disobey all the unjust laws as a way of respecting the rule of law. The statement authored by the eight local white clergymen denounced non-violent protests while supporting the need of all the aggrieved parties to embrace negotiation. However, Martin Luther King Jr. strongly argued against their sentiments as he advocated for direct action. He explained that after the government had ignored the calls for equality continuously, it was time for the black community to take part in immediate action fully. Martin Luther King Jr. refuted the claims of the clergymen and the local government that non-violent protests were wrong. Instead, in his letter, he authored that direct action was necessary as a model of pushing for negotiations on pertinent social issues. He used the letter to argue that the most significant impediment against equality was the white moderates who sought to maintain status

I believe that direct action represents one of the most significant avenues that can result in change. As Socrates opined direct action creates some level of tension in a society that will prompt individuals to overcome social discrimination. I suppose that the letter represented the fundamental issues that described the functionality and effectiveness of civil rights movement. Using the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. provided a significant statement concerning the civil rights movement regarding the moral and philosophical foundations as well as the need to embrace direct action. I hold the view that the impacts of the letter may have been felt across the world in regards to freedom struggles outside the borders of the United States. This is evidenced by the growing popularity of direct action against various social prejudices. For that reason, it is possible that activities across the world were inspired by the details contained in the letter hence leading protests against authoritarian regimes, apartheid, and so