In the early 1960s, race had become the biggest issue in the South. Many African Americans were being sprayed down with water hoses just because of the color of their skin. Many bombings had taken place, one in particular, the 16th Street Baptist Church. The church was bombed, ultimately because the church was home to African Americans. This society was no longer about right and wrong, but had turned into hatred for the opposite race. Many people in the African American community decided to take a stand against this hatred; for example, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others. The one that is most known for taking a stand in this time period is Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was arrested in 1963 in the City of …show more content…
King starts by giving respect to the men but also gives respect to himself and then explains to them what he thinks is right and wrong. Dr. King establishes himself to the eight clergymen in the beginning of the letter by saying “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia” (King 863). He explains his title to them and then goes on to say “So I am here, along with several other members of my staff, because we were invited here. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here. Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” (King 863). But before saying all of this he is very respectful with the very first words he says in the letter which are “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” (King 863); this shows the men he is writing to respect because he says fellow meaning they are not enemies in his eyes but equal to him. Dr. King uses the rhetorical principal of ethics when he says “The answer is not found in the fact that there are two types of laws; there are just laws and there are unjust laws” (King 865). He also says that a person has a responsibility to disobey an unjust law (King 865). Later on in the paragraph he goes on to say “I would agree with Saint Augustine that “An unjust law is no law at all’’” (King 865). Dr. King addresses the issue of the unfair treatment and says that no wrong has been done. He says this because the laws that have been put in place are unjust. For example, laws which allow the separation of water fountains, African Americans sitting in the back of the bus, or the African Americans only being able to eat at certain restaurants are wrong. Many things were seen as right in the period, that many people knew were actually
Injustices in Birmingham While sitting in the Birmingham jail in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., writes a powerful and emotional letter to the clergymen of Birmingham. In his letter, he responds to the harsh criticism and injustices he received for simply protesting peacefully without a permit. King states in his letter, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Civil rights leader and social activist Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a world renown correspondence, Letter From Birmingham Jail, in April of 1963, during a time when segregation was at it’s peak in the South. When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. In response to King’s peaceful protesting, the white community viewed “[his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist,” and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive.
Dr. King was no exception when it comes to letting religion influence his decisions, throughout his role in the Civil Rights Movement he fought racism with emphasis on non-violence resistance. Although Dr. King’s use of non-violence resistance led to him being arrested multiple times as well as physically assaulted. Dr. King used major influences such as Mahatma Gandhi and The New Testament to encourage others who resisted racial inequality by reminding them to love your enemies even if they hate you. An example of a time Dr. King used non-violence resistance would be the Montgomery bus boycott, where African American’s refused to take the bus to protest against segregated seating. The boycott resulted in, the Supreme Court ruling that Montgomery had to have integrated
The 1960s was a time of racial differences; privileges were given only to the whites. Blacks, mexican, and other races were discriminated for the color of their skin. Not only that, the blacks weren't able to use the whites fountains or bathrooms. Violence was commonly used to express how they felt over a colored person. September 15th 1963, a baptist church in Birmingham Alabama had a bombing, killing 4 children and injuring others.
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.
In paragraph 9 King states “there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws (6),” and then continues with King stating “Now, what is the difference between the two? (7)” What is the difference between an unjust law and a just law? King goes on to explain that a just law is one that “squares with the moral
In the third page of his letter King, expresses his understanding on his and his companies willingness to break laws. It is explained that only the “unjust” laws are to be broken and, "An unjust law is no law at all." By relating to, and showing his understanding of the concerns of his opposers, King makes his letter
At the end of his letter he addresses the clergymen " I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader, but as a fellow clergymen and a Christian brother" (paragraph 7). This statement makes a claim the king wants to meet these seven clergymen in person and speak about the issues he wrote in this letter. Another rhetorical tool king uses in his letter are similes. This rhetorical tool helps king compare two things and address the point as he sees it. " Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek" (paragraph 3).
(Paragraph 4). This drew the clergymen’s attention to King’s beliefs and possibly made them realize the flaws in the system. King also states, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law…” (Paragraph 5).
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.
Dr. King wanted to end segregation and he also wanted equal rights for everyone, but he was told by the clergyman that the movement was “unwise” and “untimely”. King explained that there will never be a right time for change in this society with bringing equality and justice to us all. Dr. King was told several times to wait, which prolonged his protest and marches. King became frustrated because people were being mistreated and judged everyday based off the color of their skin. Dr. King felt that segregation was wrong, and he refused to sit back and do nothing.
Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail, argues against criticism from eight Alabama clergymen, and addresses their concerns. He defends his position, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), against accusations of disturbing the peace in Birmingham, as well as explaining his values and opinions. Throughout the letter, King adopts a strong logical and credible tone, and reinforces his position through the use of strong emotional justifications, in order to appeal to the clergymen and defend his public image. Martin Luther King opens up his Letter from Birmingham City Jail by appealing to the clergymen's emotions, and assuring his peaceful response, which he describes in "patient and
Martin Luther King Jr, in the letter from a Birmingham Jail he addresses himself as a patriot and as a priest. He entitles himself as both, as metaphors that he is enlightening the people of 1963 and to reveal the ignorance they've done under the name of God. King writes as a, a Civil Rights Leader, an American Citizen, Clergyman, a Christian Brother, a United States Negro, and a Judeo-Christian leader. He defines himself as a man of God as well a man of the United States in such way that demonstrates his beliefs as well, as a committed member. He states “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so
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.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. As he sits in a cell of Birmingham Jail in 1963, he responds to criticism from eight white clergymen. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. In his tear-jerking, mind-opening letter, King manages to completely discredit every claim made by the clergymen while keeping a polite and formal tone. Metaphors, allusions, and rhetorical questions are used in the most skillful way to support his argument and ultimately convince his audience of the credibility behind his emotional, yet factual, claims.