Martin Luther King s Letter From The Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King preached the realities of what justice truly is. Nearly 50 years later our world is still having trouble with these ideas. There is no doubt that Martin Luther King was an extremely virtuous man. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, had a Ph.D. in systematic theology, was a baptist minister, and was probably the most recognized person in the civil rights movement. He was assassinated in 1968. The incident as described by Thich Nhat Hanh; I couldn t believe it. I thought the American people had produced a king, but are not capable of preserving him. There is an untestable amount of information describing true Justice in Martin s 1963 letter from the Birmingham Jail. In April 1963 he was jailed for peaceful protest, and charged with parading without a permit. He used this time to address fellow clergy members who called his protest unwise and untimely. The letter is one of the most robust, and well written documents on justice. If you would like to read it, you can do so here. Otherwise I d like to touch on some of the themes we can learn from this letter. Early in the letter, Martin describes four essential steps to a nonviolent campaign. Collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists Negotiation Self purification Direct Action It s important to realize these steps are sequential, they result from some form of failure during the previous step. Just laws and unjust laws He claims we have not just a legal responsibility, but aShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1690 Words   |  7 Pages1960’s were a time of civil disobedience and protest against the inequalities in America. Specifically, in Birmingham, Alabama, in the year 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the racial inequalities in one of the most famous letters in America’s history: â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail.† This letter was sent to a group of Alabama clergymen who chastised King’s disobedience. The letter was written with the purpose to encourage these eight men to side with King. Martin Luther King Jr.’s knowledgeRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1860 Words   |  8 Pagesdisobedience as identified by Martin Luther King is a form of direct action, and an outright refusal to conform to laws as a form of protest. Martin Luther King addresses this method of resistance in his text, â€Å"Le tter from Birmingham Jail†. Martin Luther King Jr personally drafted the text as a response to criticisms made in a statement by clergymen whom apposed King’s nonviolent methods of resistance to continuous issues of racism occurring in Birmingham, Alabama. As expressed by King and described in hisRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail998 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr. seldom had time to answer his critics. But on April 16, 1963, he was confined to the Birmingham jail, imprisoned for participating in civil rights demonstrations. â€Å"Alone for days in the dull monotony of a narrow jail cell,† King pondered a letter titled A Call for Unity that fellow clergymen had published pressing him to drop his crusade of nonviolent resistance and to leave the battle for racial equality to the courts. Within that document, King’s fellow clergymen caste himRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1562 Words   |  7 PagesDr. Martin Luther King, one of the most influential men in the world, had played a pivotal role during the Civil Rights movement. He led the entire nation in the fight to end segregation, but while trying, he faced many obstacles, one being getting arrested during a rally. While in jail, King had time to respond to the critics of his work in the movement, and he wrote a marvelous, captivating response. In King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† he replied and prof essed his emotions to the white clergymenRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1509 Words   |  7 Pagespeople to fight for their freedom with words and not their fists. Martin Luther King Jr. used the power of rhetoric during the civil rights movement to gain equality for the black community. MLK was a master of rhetoric and used his knowledge of proper arguments to sway the opinions of people in power to get what he wanted. Even though Martin Luther King includes an abundance of rhetorical devices in the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† he most effectively utilizes ethos and logos, elevating his perceivedRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From A Birmingham Jail1157 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† is directed towards the clergymen, although America is his audience, King had come to Birmingham to address the segregation problem in the United States. He refuses to stay silent, even though people told him to wait for the change to happen. King is a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that has many organizations across the South. He felt that he has a right to be in Birmingham because his organizations have connections withRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail955 Words   |  4 PagesBy 1963, when Martin Luther King planned a campaign against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. During the demonstration he was arrested and lives in the jail for eight days. While he was in prison, he wrote his letter from Birmingham Jail to explain his actions and those who urged him to call off the demonstrations. Martin Luther King Jr. Birmingham Jail is important because, he explains the reasons for the non-violent demonstrations, he shows that black people are intelligent, and he criticizesRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail934 Words   |  4 PagesIn Martin Luther King Jr.’s , â€Å" Letter from Birmingham Jail†, King responds to the judgments of a group of clergymen , after King s arrest, by writing a letter explaining why the clergymen s judgments were wrong. In his letter, king brings very reasonable and valid points that challenge the judgments of the ministers. The main arguments that king makes would be the reason of his existence in Birmingham, white power structure and its racial injustice, and finally why negotiation has brought up impatienceRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1223 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr.’s, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† emphasizes the need for civil disobedience when faced with unjust laws. This idea contradicts Socrates’ claim made in Crito, that one must follow the law under all circumstances. In this paper, I will argue that Socrates is not a proponent of civil disobedience based on King’s definition of civil disobedience and Socrates’ charges. Moreover, I will argue that both Socrates and King disagree with one another based on the concept of civilRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1037 Words   |  5 PagesEssay Four Topic: Read Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† (in your Nexus book) and Brent Staples’s â€Å"Black Men and Public Space.† What do these works say about racism, prejudice, and bias? Have we made any progress in these areas since their publication? What problems do you still see and what solutions can you offer? According to Opposing Viewpoints Online, Racism is â€Å"a prejudice or an animosity against a person or group of people who belong to a different race†. Many Americans wrongly Martin Luther King s Letter From The Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from the Birmingham Jail† addresses the issue of individual civil rights. In the context of the racially segregated south, Martin Luther King argues that civil rights are not being protected for the power minority. An oppressed group has their civil rights unprotected and thus are marginalized; an oppressed individual does not have equal civil rights to an oppressed individual and it is this difference that creates the distinction between the oppressed and unoppressed. King mentions examples of how the black minority is being oppressed and not given equal civil rights, such as police brutality and unfair prosecution, racial humiliation, and restricted economic and social opportunities. In order to protect individual civil rights for all the oppressed group, which lacks equal civil rights, must strongly and unwaveringly pursue these rights. Like how the black civil rights movement pursued equal civil rights, an oppressed group must repe atedly actively pursue equality from their oppressors and thus restore individual civil rights. Laws that impede these rights are unjust according to King. An unjust law is an immoral law. King uses religious reasoning as well as objective reasoning in order to determine what is just versus unjust. In terms of religion, an unjust law is a law that corrupts the soul by preventing people from feeling as equals and thus goes against the religious idea that all people are equal under god. In terms of objectiveShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1690 Words   |  7 Pages1960’s were a time of civil disobedience and protest against the inequalities in America. Specifically, in Birmingham, Alabama, in the year 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the racial inequalities in one of the most famous letters in America’s history: â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail.† This letter was sent to a group of Alabama clergymen who chastised King ’s disobedience. The letter was written with the purpose to encourage these eight men to side with King. Martin Luther King Jr.’s knowledgeRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1860 Words   |  8 Pagesdisobedience as identified by Martin Luther King is a form of direct action, and an outright refusal to conform to laws as a form of protest. Martin Luther King addresses this method of resistance in his text, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†. Martin Luther King Jr personally drafted the text as a response to criticisms made in a statement by clergymen whom apposed King’s nonviolent methods of resistance to continuous issues of racism occurring in Birmingham, Alabama. As expressed by King and described in hisRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail998 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr. seldom had time to answer his critics. But on April 16, 1963, he was confined to the Birmingham jail, imprisoned for participating in civil rights demonstrations. â€Å"Alone for days in the dull monotony of a narrow jail cell,† King pondered a letter titled A Call for Unity that fellow clergymen had published pressing him to drop his crusade of nonviolent resistance and to leave the battle for racial equality to the courts. Within that document, King’s fellow clergymen caste himRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1562 Words   |  7 PagesDr. Martin Luther King, one of the most influential men in the world, had played a pivotal role during the Civil Rights movement. He led the entire nation in the fight to end segregation, but while trying, he faced many obstacles, one being getting arrested during a rally. While in jail, King had time to respond to the critics of his work in the movement, and he wrote a marvelous, captivating response. In King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† he replied and prof essed his emotions to the white clergymenRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From The Birmingham Jail939 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King preached the realities of what justice truly is. Nearly 50 years later our world is still having trouble with these ideas. There is no doubt that Martin Luther King was an extremely virtuous man. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, had a Ph.D. in systematic theology, was a baptist minister, and was probably the most recognized person in the civil rights movement. He was assassinated in 1968. The incident as described by Thich Nhat Hanh; I couldn t believe it. I thought theRead MoreMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1509 Words   |  7 Pagespeople to fight for their freedom with words and not their fists. Martin Luther King Jr. used the power of rhetoric during the civil rights movement to gain equality for the black community. MLK was a master of rhetoric and used his knowledge of proper arguments to sway the opinions of people in power to get what he wanted. Even though Martin Luther King includes an abundance of rhetorical devices in the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† he most effectively utilizes ethos and logos, elevating his perceivedRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From A Birmingham Jail1157 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† is directed towards the clergymen, although America is his audience, King had come to Birmingham to address the segregation problem in the United States. He refuses to stay silent, even though people told him to wait for the change to happen. King is a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that has many organizations across the South. He felt that he has a right to be in Birmingham because his organizations have connections withRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail955 Words   |  4 PagesBy 1963, when Martin Luther King planned a campaign aga inst segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. During the demonstration he was arrested and lives in the jail for eight days. While he was in prison, he wrote his letter from Birmingham Jail to explain his actions and those who urged him to call off the demonstrations. Martin Luther King Jr. Birmingham Jail is important because, he explains the reasons for the non-violent demonstrations, he shows that black people are intelligent, and he criticizesRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail934 Words   |  4 PagesIn Martin Luther King Jr.’s , â€Å" Letter from Birmingham Jail†, King responds to the judgments of a group of clergymen , after King s arrest, by writing a letter explaining why the clergymen s judgments were wrong. In his letter, king brings very reasonable and valid points that challenge the judgments of the ministers. The main arguments that king makes would be the reason of his existence in Birmingham, white power structure and its racial i njustice, and finally why negotiation has brought up impatienceRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1223 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr.’s, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† emphasizes the need for civil disobedience when faced with unjust laws. This idea contradicts Socrates’ claim made in Crito, that one must follow the law under all circumstances. In this paper, I will argue that Socrates is not a proponent of civil disobedience based on King’s definition of civil disobedience and Socrates’ charges. Moreover, I will argue that both Socrates and King disagree with one another based on the concept of civil