Social Injustice In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Social injustices have always been an issue in the United States, and still is an issue today. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau talked about the social injustices they saw, and how they acted towards them. Although Martin Luther King Jr., and Henry David Thoreau saw different social injustices at different times in history, they both stood up for what they believed in, without thinking of the consequences.

Both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau spent time in jail for their battle of social injustice. King spent time in jail for protesting how unfairly African-Americans were being treated in Birmingham, Alabama. He spent a total of eleven days in jail, in which he wrote “Letter from a

King was in Birmingham because he was invited to engage in a nonviolent direct action program, due to the injustice suffered by African- Americans in Birmingham. African-Americans were considered by many to be “outsiders” to this country, even though they were born in this country. King was not going to stand by and allow this to continue. Instead, King peacefully protested and resulted in him being put in jail. King used his voice in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to express and encourage others to stand up to these injustices. Thoreau, on the other hand, used “Civil Disobedience” to encourage people to stand up to the government. Thoreau encourages people that they should stand up for what they believe in, even if it goes against the majority. “Why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them?” (Thoreau). Thoreau is not anti-government, instead he wants the U.S. citizen’s thoughts and opinions, to be heard by the government, and wants the government to change and adapt based on their citizens, not the other way