Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent man, who aided the fight for civil rights. Due to the unjust treatment of African-American, the Civil Rights Movement was formed to create a new outcome for the future. During the battle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became imprisoned in Birmingham city jail due to his participation in a nonviolent demonstration against segregation. While imprisoned, he wrote a letter on August 1963, called the "Letter from Birmingham Jail;" he expressed his concerns as to why there has been no advancement for the civil rights movement. While dissecting and analyzing his letter, his moral theory from this letter describes him to be a virtue ethicist. Aristotle describes virtue theory as an ethical theory that emphasizes an individual 's character rather than following a set of rules. Breaking it down even further to specify knowing right from wrong, being able to read an atmosphere by knowing what is right, and it is the midpoint between two extremes. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. display to be a virtue ethicists through his letter oppose to being a deontologist or utilitarian.
Laws define a set of rules that the people should follow; however, there are unjust laws that are meant to be challenged. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. states, "it is rather strange and paradoxical to find us consciously breaking laws;" this statement corresponds with Dr. King Jr. agreeing with St. Augustine’s statement that "an unjust law is no law at all." In 1954 during the
Everyone has experienced pain, but we all deal with it differently. Some people try to avoid experiencing pain, for they are scared; while others accept their punishment and agony. Moral people tolerate their pain and trauma by making their traumatic experience meaningful and important. They learn from their punishment and try to provide insight. In the stories of Antigone and Boycott, Letter From Birmingham Jail, righteous people fought for their beliefs without violence and dealt with their suffering without hesitation.
Martin Luther King letter from Birmingham’s jail, it is an emotive letter written from his 8 days solitary confinement in Birmingham city. In this letter Martin Luther king intends to respond to his critics by letting them know about the motives of his nonviolent actions. As an activist of African American of the civil rights movement, Luther king replies to his clergyman peers with reasons why the way to conquer real freedom for color people is through legal reforms rather than violent actions. One of the main arguments of his letter, it is his non-conformity with white people decision to not follow the enacted law of 1954, in which Negros were given equalitarian treatment as white people did. Martin Luther king uses his most eloquent words
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and a social activist. He led the Civil Rights Movement and used non-violent protests to get messages across. The purpose of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” was to let the clergyman of Birmingham knew that he also was a clergyman and not an outsider, and that he was approached by others for guidance, support, and encouragement on how to deal with injustice in the town of Birmingham and help with establishment of civil rights. Dr. King addresses the reasons to continue non-violent actions against racist, unjust laws that are currently in effect during the time he was incarcerated. Martin Luther King Jr. explains that racial discrimination, or injustice to the black American
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses racial segregation and all the injustices to the black American society. He writes this letter as a response to the eight clergymen, but it also became one of the most influential letters in defense of nonviolent movement ever written. Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the country and the most violent. Even after segregation was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1954. In Birmingham, white and black Americans were very much separate with “white only” hotels, restaurants, and even bathrooms.
In April 1963 Martin Luther King was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, for organizing demonstrations against unjust segregation laws. While in jail, he read a letter written by eight clergymen who denounced his demonstrations. King answered the clergymen in a letter now known as "Letters from Birmingham Jail." A study of American history reveals that King was justified in leading demonstrations against unjust segregation (Jim Crow) laws. To begin, in April 12, 1966 several Alabama Clergymen wrote an open letter to Martin Luther King criticizing his actions during his demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama.
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 a Birmingham Jail" is poignant in many ways in regard to a "big picture" viewpoint of our society. Overall, it speaks to the viewpoint that we all have a social responsibility to each other to work against injustice irrespective of where that injustice takes place. "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. Dr. King told the local clergy in Birmingham that he understood he was an outsider and he realized that his presence in Birmingham would cause trouble. However, he also felt that he had a moral
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the letter from jail, after he got arrested during a peaceful protest. At the time segregation was still a part of the culture in the United States and Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers were working diligently and peacefully to try and make a change in people’s hearts about segregation. In this letter MLK Jr. is writing to defend his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, which he does effectively by using rhetoric. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference focused on Birmingham, Alabama to start a nonviolent direct action campaign with the goal to get the city to get rid of segregation laws.
Civil Disobedience Martin Luther King once stated in "The Letter from Birmingham Jail", "Any individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment to arouse the conscience of the community over it injustice is in reality, expressing the highest respect for the law" (King 411). King meant that, if anyone feels a law is unjust and needed to expose its injustice, should willingly accept any penalty that comes in their way to help arouse people 's conscience in changing that law. In “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King explains the four powerful steps of the nonviolent campaign he used to protest against racial injustice for African-Americans
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.
In his letter to the clergymen, he claimed, “In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence.” (Paragraph 8). The law enforcement was completely aware that their actions were 100% peaceful, but yet he was still put into jail. During the civil rights movement, King did not participate in any violent behavior, despite being jailed for “violent behavior”. Even at the end of the letter, King wrote, “Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood, Martin Luther King, Jr.” (Paragraph 10).
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.
The Civil Rights Movement was a big thing for the United states and we as Americans will always remember Martin Luther King Jr. for helping lead the people and inspire change and bring hope. The speech “ I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an important gathering of people at the Lincoln Memorial. A huge crowd gathered to listen to his powerful speech which helped to inspire change. Martin Luther King also wrote a letter to eight white clergymen named “Letter From Birmingham Jail” the letter was written in in his jail cell which he was in for marching and protests. In both of these texts Dr. King used pathos and logos to inspire change and reach out to the people during the civil rights movements.
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.
King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice