Open Letter From Birmingham Jail Research Paper

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter while incarcerated in Birmingham jail to

The 1960’s was a sad time when segregation existed. Although the colored people were technically free, were they really free? This time in history was filled with colored people being disgraced, threatened, held in captivity, and “vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sister” (King). Children ripped apart from their families, not being able to socialize with certain people, or even go to the local amusement park. It was a hard time to be a colored person, and there was one hope. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that one day blacks and whites could one day come together peacefully. King tried to do what he believed was right with everything in his will to finally join forces and not be talked down on by whites. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he includes several events that affect not only him but thousands of others emotionally, he uses creative examples to get his points across, and lastly King includes multiple past and present historical facts.

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

Luther King sent the letter to Joe C. Higginbotham or Joe Clergymen Higginbotham, but apparently on 1963 the day of his arrest, a group of clergymen wrote an open letter in which they called for the community to renounce protest strategy that was caused by the community and they were able to be unrest. But just because they got unrest they didn’t stop protesting because they still believe in Martin Luther King and they felt accomplished when his powerful letter that moved the movement in the civil rights movement. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting the treatment of “Negroes” in Birmingham, Alabama, and the court had ordered that King could not hold protests in Birmingham, because others were starting to agree with him and think that he was right and something should be done about it.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a key figure in the civil rights movements that took place in the 1950s and 1960s. The “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is an open letter written by King defending nonviolent resistance against racism. The letter argued that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust and unethical laws. The letter also stresses themes of unity among brothers in order to overcome racism. I will argue in support of King’s stance that citizens are morally justified in breaking unjust laws and that openly and responsibly opposing unjust laws is itself a duty of every citizen.

The primary goal of a sermon in church is to convince or persuade the congregation to turn to God and follow his ways and beliefs. A sermon is commonly broken up into several subsections beginning with “(1) an introduction ‘to establish a common ground of religious feeling’; (2) ‘a statement of the text’ which is often drawn directly from the Bible; (3) the ‘body of the sermon,’ which consists of repeated emotional climaxes; and (4) the ‘conclusion’ which resolves the emotional tension aroused by the sermon by drawing the sinners to God.” (Pipes 143). Based on these characteristics and King’s religious background and experience as a preacher, it is logical to argue that the structure of “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” resembles that of a sermon which is aimed at an audience much larger than that of just eight clergymen. Through his brilliant use of persuasive methods and emotional appeal, Martin Luther King turns a simple response to a letter into a national cause for white support to combat segregation.

“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.

        So now it easy to say that laws sometimes need to be broken for the good

The government and its agents violated failed to safeguard the due process rights of the four prisoners in a multitude of disgusting ways. Firstly, I would argue that the use of hours upon hours of interrogation which leads to hunger and sleep deprivation is a form of torture which is illegal. I know that when I am tired and sleep deprived I start losing my ability to think clearly and once you reach a certain point, you will do anything for food or sleep. It is a natural human instinct to get desperate in a time like that. Secondly, the police were coercing the men into their confessions; they were practically holding their hands for it. The police showed the men photographs of the crime scenes so that they would know the details of it and they even helped them craft their confession and tell them what to add and remove. They did not begin recording until they were satisfied with their responses so the court would not be able to hear all that went on before it. Thirdly, I would consider the repeated threats of the death penalty and telling them to die would be a form of torture.

Have you ever felt a rule you had to follow was unjust? Have you ever felt your moral instinct tell you not to follow it? Prominent figures in American history, Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, felt this way and decided to not follow the rules imposed on them by indulging in “civil disobedience”. Civil disobedience is the act of peacefully disobeying laws or customs with the purpose of combating moral injustice. This form of protest has proven to be quite effective in making change in history. In “Civil Disobedience” and the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, both Thoreau and King Jr. write their justification for their actions as well as their feelings regarding the particular disputed

Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was arrested and placed in Birmingham jail after leading a non-violent march to protest racism in the streets of Alabama- a highly segregated state at the time. There he received a newspaper containing “A Call for Unity,” which was written by eight white Alabama clergymen criticizing King and his movement’s methods; this prompted King to write a letter in response to the critics. Martin Luther King Jr. employs ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade and demonstrate to the critics and other readers the many injustices of segregation.

This activity was part of a two-week lesson where students had to analyze Letter From Birmingham Jail to complete a graphic organizer to introduce argumentative writing. Before receiving this packet, students were frontloaded information on the historical context of the letter. Additionally, I divided the letter into three parts, so students were able to comprehend due to the length of the letter (9 pages). Throughout the course of two weeks, students participated in a whole group discussion to analyze how Dr. King used rhetorical devices to convey the message of peaceful protest tactics. During the discussions, students were prompted to annotate a minimum of three paragraphs to exhibit close reading strategies. At the end of the letter, students had to complete a graphic organizer stating either Dr. King’s claims or the opponent’s counterclaims. The lesson supported students to use the annotations created or shared by peers to complete the graphic

Almost thirteen months after the boycott had started they had reached their goal of integrated buses. On April 12, 1963, a group of clergy sent Martin Luther Jr, a letter while he was in the birmingham city jail. The letter from birmingham jail is a letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of clergymen had thrown at him and his pro-black American organization about his and his organizations non-violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. King writes the letter to defend his organization’s actions and the letter is also an appeal to the black and white society to encourage desegregation and encourage equality among all Americans. In addressing and confronting the problem of injustices among the African Americans in the American society, specifically the violence that had happened in Birmingham, and generally, King argues his position by using both moral, social, and political references and logic for his arguments to be considered and

1.The origin of jail was intended for alleged short-term lawbreakers until they could see trial. According to Siegel and Bartollas(2017, p.126), “jails gradually came to serve the dual purposes of detention and punishment.” The sentenced time for inmates is a year or less and the detained time for suspected intoxicated detainees is forty-eight hours. On the other hand, prison is known to be a place for experiencing punishment and setting an example of deterrence for further crimes, inmates are sentenced well over a year to life in prison. Both Prison and jail share the mandatory need for medical care. In addition, inmates are put in prison and jail to experience the punishment and defer from recidivism.

In April of 1863, men and women of the African American race persistently protested the streets of Birmingham in hope of gaining racial equality. After Dr. King's arrest was the release of "The White Ministers Good Friday Statement" followed by the response, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Although, revolving around the same context, each passage comes from a different point of view. Thus, bringing forth differences that one or many may not understand. But not only that, similarities may be encountered causing one to question the disagreements found in Birmingham.