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What Are The Arguments In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963 while being confined in Birmingham City Jail. The letter was addressed to Kings Fellow Clergymen who had written an open letter. Letter from Birmingham criticizes King and Southern Leadership conference while protesting in Birmingham. Dr. King told the clergymen he was upset and wanted to address the concerns and criticisms they had. In justifying his presence in Birmingham, King presented three arguments for being there. He argues for legal, political and historical grounds. His arguments for being in Birmingham were: He was as he was invited, He had organizational ties there and there in Birmingham, there was Injustice was there. King who is a minister of religion presents an argument through analogy by comparing himself and the troubled Birmingham to what the Apostle Paul went through. King believes he too was called to Birmingham as …show more content…

Kings states that once one lives in the United States that a person is not an outsider with bounds. In defending his right, Kings states that the SLC, which is based in Atlanta, has branches throughout the south and Birmingham was one of places with its affiliation of which he was invited. In Kings Argument he argues that he came due to the injustice which was there in Birmingham and wherever there was injustice there was treat to justice all over. King in his letter from Birmingham distinction between just and unjust laws as: a just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. He further breaks the meaning in ways in which describe by St. Thomas Aquinas as: an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to address the issue of racial injustice in Birmingham and the United States at the time. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham, as well as serve as a rebuttal to the eight clergymen arguments. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses his appeals to emotion to establish his credibility on the topic of the racial discrimination and injustice that was occurring during that time, as well justify his reasons for protests. King wanted to make his letter come from an emotional standpoint to make the audience of clergymen feel the strong emotion and pain he was feeling about the outrage of acts and justify his cause of writing. “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr started out by explaining why he was in Birmingham. King said he was invited because of the connections through his organization. However, he knows that there is major injustice in Birmingham and he wants

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Martin Luther King wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" not only to reply to criticism from clergymen, but to expose the racism in this city and promote his mission. King starts off his letter by writing about how he does not usually reply to all the criticism he receives, but he feels that this topic is too important to let pass by (King 331). King appeals to all aspects of citizens. By mentioning that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King ethically appeals to his audience by strengthening his character with experience and leadership skills (King 332). Another way King ethically appeals to his audience is by writing about the many occasions that African Americans have been treated unfairly.

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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on 16 April 1963 in a solitary confinement cell in Birmingham, Alabama. He had terrible conditions when writing this letter since it is known that some parts of this letter were smuggled out by his lawyer on scraps of paper and even rough jailhouse toilet paper. Things were not looking good on Birmingham either, violent racism terror against black people was so bad that the city was being called “Bombingham” by some residents. But these things did not make King give up, he stood up for what he believes is true and he fought for it. In the following paragraphs, we will look at a brief summary of the letter to understand it better and after that we will try to see

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After a public statement written by a handful of clergymen, King released his response refuting their claim in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Martin Luther King Jr. quickly establishes ethos by addressing himself as a preacher, clergyman, brother, and as an African American man. By doing so, he is able to clearly and effectively state what he wished to accomplish —to desegregate Birmingham through persuading church leaders and members. King argues that Jesus was an extremist for love, expressing his disappointment for the church, and declaring that a man-made law should be morally justified. Through these points, King states that the bystanders of the Christian community failed God, he does this by employing historical and religious allusions

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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.

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Authoritative quotes are an important part of King’s argument because his audience likely admired the figures he quoted. As Christian ministers, they had experience with the ideas of the figures. By referencing Paul the Apostle, although he doesn’t directly quote him, King explains that by being in Alabama, he is helping

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King showed an understanding of his opposers’ arguments and acknowledged their opinions without failing to provide a respectful explanation of his own beliefs and the flaws within theirs. He addressed his opposer’s disapproval of the demonstrations held in Birmingham and undermined these claims by explaining their flaws. “You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations.” (Pg. 7).

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JoAnna Guzman AP English Period 4 Mrs. Solis 5 February 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. letter “ Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a response to eight Alabama clergymen of 1963. The clergymen had accused King of being an “outsider” and interfering with the racial issues of the community of Birmingham. When writing in response to the eight clergymen from Alabama Martin Luther King Jr. uses the rhetorical device of historical and biblical allusions.

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Although that was enough reason to be in Birmingham King goes on further to say that he is in Birmingham because injustice is here. King says he couldn’t ignore the fact there was injustice in Birmingham regardless if he was an outsider or not. King goes on to say that “injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere” this builds on the theory that “whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Defending his belief on just and unjust laws, King uses a quote of St. Augustine the quote says, “A unjust law is no law at all.” King uses this to answer the criticism on how can you advocate people to obey one law but breaking others.

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“Letter from Jail” On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated. Dr. King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham, Alabama and other areas within the United States. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community. Dr. King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community, he also went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years, which he felt like it could change. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement.

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Summary/Assessment: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which is an organization operating in every Southern state with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. He came to Birmingham, Alabama because injustice lies there and helped protest about it in a nonviolent demonstration against racial discrimination. The eight clergymen of the South did not approve of these demonstrations happening which caused Dr. King to be confined in Birmingham Jail cell, writing a letter to them men explaining on why he was in Birmingham and what his reasons were for these protests. He begins to talk about and explain the four basic steps that needed to be followed for any nonviolent campaign. He also gives the audience a better understanding by giving a visual glimpse of what the black community had to endure.

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When responding to the eight white clergymen, he states, “Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas,” giving the reader the notion that a plethora of criticism must come across his desk. But, he has chosen to write a response and explain himself simply because King feels they are “men of genuine good will” and their criticism is “sincerely set forth.” After the introduction of his letter, he feels he must next explain his location at the time: Birmingham Jail. “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here,” says King. This quote lets the reader know there is a reason behind King’s arrest, a very good reason, too.

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With the help of these four steps, he justifies the need for the demonstration. King illustrates the city of Birmingham as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States,” (King 2). Here King is able to show that injustices are present in Birmingham, which further justifies his reason for a peaceful demonstration. King proceeds to speak about his method of protesting. He states that negotiation was not met, and that “[their] hopes had been blasted,” that like “victims of a broken promise,” their wishes had been disregarded, (King 2).

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