Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

What do you think the author’s thesis, or main argument is, and why? Be sure to put his thesis in your own words.

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963 and it began a huge transformation for the Civil Rights Movement. In his letter he is basically responding to an advertisement from the Birmingham news. He was extremely reasonable and modest all throughout his letter. He goes into great detail about how even though the protestors at the movement were breaking federal laws but, their actions obeyed the moral law. When he said this in his letter he was referring to St. Augustine because he says “An unjust law is no law at all”. (King Jr., para.14). It was a nonviolent campaign and there were 4 basic steps being followed, “collection of facts to determine whether injustices

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was serving a prison sentence in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama for nonviolently protesting through sit ins and marches.. It was during this time that King, outraged by the criticism of his methods of nonviolent direct action, wrote one of the most thoughtful arguments for civil disobedience and direct action against unjust and immoral laws. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was a poignant rebuttal to critics and clarified his argument, inspiring much of the American youth to rebel against the racial injustices occurring in America at the time. Martin Luther King’s arguments in Letter from Birmingham Jail are effective because they draw the reader’s attention to the dehumanizing nature of systematic racism and force them to consider the ethical implications of large scale racial discrimination through intense imagery, articulate through reasonable rhetoric the philosophy behind civil disobedience and why direct action is the only path to achieve racial equality, and use practical and logical arguments to methodically refute the arguments of the Alabama clergymen who criticized him.

King had a vision that one day all races would be treated equally. Being the educated man that he was, receiving his Doctorate from Boston University, Dr. King never saw failure as an option. King was a third generation Baptist Minister and was the Leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Dr. King was from the South and was very familiar with the city of Birmingham which was known as the most violently segregated city in the United States. An affiliate of Dr. King’s invited him to Birmingham to engage in a nonviolent protest to which he agreed. During the nonviolent protest Dr. King was arrested for protesting without a permit. While in a Birmingham County jail cell Martin Luther King explains issues within the past day’s society that needed to be addressed including the church, the white moderates, and how he had been labeled an extremist.

The primary source chosen is the “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,”  written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was a letter sent to the clergyman of Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. The actual document was written inside the Birmingham city jail on articles of newspaper and scrapes that Dr. King had near by in his cell. Throughout the letter Dr. King addresses the comments made by the Birmingham clergymen about his civil rights demonstrations. He understands that someone will have to break the racial barrier. The question that may arise is that, “If Dr. King’s message went to most southern states and did not go to all including Alabama, would the action be centered toward equal opportunity or segregation with the idea that each race would be a product of their resources?”

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is the letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. to the clergymen of Birmingham, in which he speaks up against the nonviolence demonstration criticisms by white modernists. In it King suggests that Socrates is civilly disobedient, despite Socrates’ assertions of breaking the law in the Crito, the prison conversation between Socrates and his friend Crito days before his death. Socrates repeatedly states that it would be morally wrong for him to escape prison and go against the laws, however, King believes that he is civilly disobedient. I, too, believe that Socrates was in some form rebellious to the law, and that he was misunderstood and rejected by society. The Apology and Crito are two dialogues that discuss the intent of Socrates’ “crimes;” and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” goes along the reasoning behind King’s claim against Socrates.

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

“A Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in the margins of a letter posted by the clergymen of Alabama at this time that sparked his interest and while he inhabited the jail cell for parading around without a permit. This time allowed him the ability to respond wholeheartedly to this cynical oppressing. King’s letter addresses specific points presented in the Clergymen’s and this direct response distinguishes King’s strong points through his powerful writing.  Unethical and immoral mentions came to the attention of the Minister through the letter, and he expressed his differing views and defended his ideals and actions through Aristotle’s three rhetorical devices, ethos, logos, and pathos.

King opens the letter by explaining that he is replying to their criticisms, in that the protests are “unwise and untimely” (p. 120). King believes that the clergymen are sincere people of genuine good will, but are serving as God’s people in an unjust society. King later highlights the example of early Christians such as Apostle Paul, who preached far from home, and relates to his personal Christian duty in which he chose to travel to Birmingham to blacklist injustice. After all, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” according to King, so when it comes to fighting injustice, there is no such thing as an outsider in the U.S. (p. 121). King gives numerous examples of personal and political wrongs that have taken place while African-Americans had waited for racial equality. Under the hardship of such injustice, impatience is understandable. King responds to the clergymen’s concerns about the protestors’ violation of laws by deciphering between just and unjust laws within an unjust society. Just laws collaborate with moral law and should be obeyed. Unjust laws violate the commandments put forth by God, therefore must not be obeyed. King expresses his anguish in the lack of action from white moderates, as they feared disorder more than injustice and believe they had the right to tell African-Americans to wait for their freedom. King compares segregation to a boil that can’t be cured “as long as it is covered up” but that can be cured if it is “opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light” (p. 125). King’s final response is criticism of the clergymen’s applause of Birmingham law enforcement’s maintenance of order during the protests.

Martin Luther King Jr. went to Birmingham not only because he had ties there, but to lead the fight for freedom. Fighting for the minorities to have freedom meant a lot to Dr. King, not only does it affect him but if affects the community. He started boycotting the city’s segregated public busses and then became the voice of Americans civil rights movement. While Dr. King was incarcerated in an Alabama jail he took the time to write back to some clergymen that had questioned his tactics. In 1963, he wrote a letter to help others, specifically the clergymen, to understand that the time they are living is rough for the minorities especially black Americans. He called it a phase and that soon it will work its self out so that everybody will respect one another and things will be different. Although King knew everybody was against the blacks of the community and him, he used natural law and getting to know the people that are truly there to help them was used to show they were on their own to fight the battle to freedom.

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now” (Martin Luther King Jr). King was all about equality. He spoke in many places throughout the United States from 1963 to 1968 when he was assassinated. He fought for African Americans rights when no one else would. He got white people on their side and eventually got rights for the African American people, but sadly it wasn’t till the 1970’s that black people were finally actually getting their rights after King died. He wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail” in jail. He was arrested for protesting without a permit along with many other people including children. Although King wields a plethora of appeals and devices, pathos and allusion are the most powerful in helping get his point across because these play on the audience's guilt and reference related historical events that denounce the oppressors’ racist ways.

Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated ethos, or his credibility, in his letter to the clergymen by his education alone (Alfano & O’Brien 51). Firstly, King attended Morehouse College and completed his undergraduate there (The New York Times 1). Further, he attended the Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania as one of only six black students among one hundred students total (The New York Times 1). This clear representation of segregation and injustice helps to build King’s credibility. Despite the fact that people greatly underestimated King, he still emerged as the president of his class (The New York

The letter has been found important throughout history because it expresses MLK’s feelings toward the unjust events and it is an example of a well-written argument. this letter explains current events in Birmingham in 1963 as well as in the rest of America and it demonstrates the approach Reverend King took throughout the whole civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The American people were motivated by the terrible acts of violence on black people and were touched by the civil-rights movement’s message. of respect for the dignity of theirs.

King explains to the clergymen that he is in Birmingham not because of his organizational ties, but because “injustice exists here” (Martin Luther King Jr.).

Section one of the 13th Amendment states the following, “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” This amendment was passed by congress on January 31, 1865, which officially declared the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Since then, there has been long animosity between races living in the United States, simply because of the color of their skin. Racism reached its peak among blacks and whites during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to end segregation in Alabama and bring rights to people of color. Dr. King faced many critiques and it was not until he was jailed that he responded to those criticisms. His famous letter addressed the criticisms raised by eight local clergymen in response to the civil rights demonstrations. I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. King because he responds with such humility that one can not help but side with him. Therefore, in this essay I will argue and defend Dr. King’s position in response to the clergymen. As well as his right in peacefully protesting the injustices of blacks during the 1960s. When wrongs are being committed, I believe in peaceful protest to combat those wrongs.