A Stone Of Hope : Prophetic Religion And The Death Of Jim Crow

Every movement with the intent to create change must begin with a foundation of beliefs. These beliefs form the basis of convictions and ideals that those firmly rooted in the movement will act upon. In the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, religion played a major role. We explore these ideas in the March trilogy, written by John Lewis. Church gatherings and meeting places served as important locations for inspiration and refuge. Religious images and leaders, including Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi, set an example the activists aimed to follow. The Social Gospel was pivotal in creating the underlying philosophy of the movement, while Islam may have been a source of tension.

On April 16, 1963, from a jail in Birmingham, Alabama, Martin Luther King Jr. composed an extensive letter to eight clergymen who condemned the timing of the civil rights movement. Although the letter was addressed to these eight clergymen, the Letter from Birmingham Jail speaks to a national audience, especially King’s “Christian and Jewish brothers”(King, 29). His peaceful but firm letter serves as a remarkably persuasive voice to an immensely chaotic mess, and is seen as a major turning point in the civil rights movement. King believes that without direct action, the full rights for African Americans could never be achieved. He defends the impatience of people in the civil rights movement, upholding that without forceful

Martin Luther King Jr. was a renowned civil rights activist who worked tirelessly to gain equal rights for all African-Americans. He was known throughout the world and his speeches continue to gain attention because of their quality. King was a gifted speaker and knew how to build a proper argument. He built up his credibility and targeted the logic and emotions of his audience. Without Martin Luther King Jr. the civil rights movement may not have seen as much success, and segregation may still have affected us today. By studying King’s work, people can learn much about rhetoric and argument. One of his most persuasive pieces was his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This piece was written on just one of the occasions King was thrown in jail for protesting segregation and the Jim Crow Laws. It was written to eight clergymen who condemned his actions. However, King realized the letter was likely to get attention from more than just the clergymen, and he tailored the letter to include more than one audience. Paragraph 31 found on pages twelve and thirteen of the letter contains the most effective argument in regards to the eight clergymen. It provides emotional and logical arguments for justice and are fully credible because of the sourcing they use.

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. resolutely responds to eight clergymen who question his methods of protest against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Specifically, in paragraphs 12-14, Dr. King explains why his protests are indeed being done in a timely manner to obtain the “constitutional and God-given rights” (A Portable Anthology, page 207) that Africans have been restricted of for over 340 years. Dr. King’s argument, combined with his strategic use of rhetorical devices to enhance it, helps create a palpable feeling of understanding that captivates the audience into seeing America through his vision.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s response to a public statement of concern from multiple Southern white religious leaders entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is perhaps one of the most important and influential pieces dedicated to the fight for equality written in the last one hundred years. It is striking just how much of the content within this letter continues to ring true. Numerous arguments King makes are still extremely relevant today, and it is nearly impossible to engage with and reflect on this text without drawing parallels to the current political landscape. This paper will discuss exactly how particular points

Despite nearly one hundred years passing since the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in Southern States were still faced with the most distinct forms of racism. The so-called “Jim Crow” laws that were present in United States at the time, served to segregate blacks and whites from all aspects of public life, including schools, public transport and juries. Often faced with extreme right-wing terrorist groups such as the white supremacist Klu Klux Klan, many among the African American community chose to live in a society of oppression that to actively campaign for equal rights for all humans regardless of the colour of their skin. It wasn’t until the 1950’s and 60’s that the people attempted to challenge the established order by engaging in influential protest movements with the help of key activist groups and their leaders. In particular, one key example of a powerful protest campaign was that which occurred in 1965 in Selma, a small town in Alabama. Here, the African American community united in an effort to ensure that all citizens were equal before the law in regards to their ability to register to vote. Their work in banding together and marching from Selma to the state capital Montgomery, was vastly important to both the Civil Rights Movement as a whole, as well as the assurance of the Black vote within the United States. Consequently, this essay seeks to emphasize just how influential this act of protest was to the movement as a whole, whilst analysing the

By the time of the 1963 ‘I Have a Dream’ speech at the March on Washington, King had become the voice of the various perspectives of life as a Black American. He now expressed the universal voice of all his people, and he was not afraid to use it in the pursuit of equality for Blacks (Branch, 881-3). Martin Luther King’s Birmingham campaign would prove to be the

The Civil Rights Movement was a critical time in the history of the United States of America. In this time of fighting, brutality, and injustice, leaders arose to fight for equality for all, one, in particular, was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King is well-renowned for believing in something and standing up for it, even though the repercussion of his actions resulted in serving time in jail. While he served his time in Birmingham, he wrote a lengthy letter to inspire and admonish the nation. This letter was addressed to two groups, the Church and the White moderates, that contained wisdom in the form of three themes, one of which is let them have more time almost always means never.

Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore’s book Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950 shows the Civil Rights movement in the same light as those writers like Jacquelyn Dowd Hall who believed in “The Long Movement.” Gilmore sets out to prove that much more time and aspects went into the Civil Rights Era and that it did not just start at the time of Brown v. Board of Education and the civil rights acts of the nineteen sixties. The book adhered to the ideology of “The Long movement” aspects of the civil rights era during its earlier times. However it also differs by displaying the more unorthodox, often unseen origins of the movement in Communism, labor, and fascism. She also shows that Black civil rights is not a problem faced by many

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr extensively establishes his ethos and proves his authority on the matter of racial injustice. “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. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (King 1). King was the focal point of the Civil Rights movement and continues to symbolize the equality of all races to this very day. His authority to advocate on the

Ever since the beginning days as a country, the United States suffered from discrimination; beginning with slavery in the 1700’s and continuing into the 1900’s with equality between African Americans and Whites, this has been a never-ending issue. However, for every issue, there are people ready to stand up and fight for their civil rights. In the 1790’s, Benjamin Banneker wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson arguing against slavery while in the 1960’s Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter defending his methods as a civil rights activist. In each of their letters, King and Banneker both used historical and biblical allusions as well as passive-aggressive diction to further their arguments that there was a need for social changes.

This book makes clear that the struggle for racial equality was nationwide and not just isolated to certain geographical locations. A common misconception about the civil rights movement is that blatant racism was a problem only encountered in the Deep South. However, Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour does a great job of clarifying this misconception and showing the many elements of the struggle for justice that blacks from coast to coast experienced.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” This was said by Martin Luther King, Jr and, unknowingly, represented his life. He was a minister, and major advocate for the Civil Rights movement in America, and helped to gain equality for African Americans. While many people supported King, many changes he advocated came after his assassination in 1968. This essay will compare and contrast Martin’s two famous literary pieces, “I Have a Dream” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, and discuss whether he was successful with their intents.

In 1960 the Civil Rights Movement was well on it’s way, with African Americans trying to establish their own rights in the United States, not just politically, but also socially. Nearly nine years after black children were finally allowed to attend school with white children, Martin Luther King Jr., a main activist for the movement, gave his famous I Have a Dream speech in 1963, delivered in the nation’s capital. King informs his audience that it is time for the country to become one, for all the people who are and are not colored, to look past their differences to become united. King reached out to the audience by using an allusion, an antithesis, and commands to compel the audience to take a stand against the oppression of black citizens.

During the Civil Rights Movement, several prominent members of society joined the movement to combat racially fueled oppression and to advocate for equality. Each of these men and women, at one point in time, asked themselves: Is it ever okay to use violence to end systemic racism and advance civil rights? With this question in mind, each of these men and women developed their own methods to contribute to the Civil Rights Movement. Among these leaders were James Cone, William Campbell, and Martin Luther King Jr. After comparing the three leaders listed above’s methods, I have determined that I favor King’s approach and I believe that it is never right to use violence to end systemic racism and advance civil rights.