The Influence Of Racial Segregation In Birmingham

In the 1960’s, black and white individuals were not recognized as being equal. The two races were treated differently, and the African Americans did not enjoy the same freedoms as the whites. The African Americans never had a chance to speak their mind, voice their opinions, or enjoy the same luxuries that the white people attained. Through various actions/efforts like the lunch counter sit-ins, freedom rides, and bus boycotts, the black people confronted segregation face on and worked to achieve equality and freedom.

Birmingham, Alabama during the 1960’s was experiencing a time of high racial tension and injustice for African Americans. Blacks were only allowed to sit in specific areas in buses and restaurants, and they had separate water fountains, churches, schools, and other public gathering areas. In 1963, the African American demonstrators began “sitting in” at lunch counters that had not served blacks before and picketed stores that did not allow blacks to shop in them. Soon after, African Americans began getting arrested for trespassing. The civil rights leaders applied for permits to picket and parade but were denied, and this sparked the thought that the law prohibiting African Americans to picket and parade was unjust and they decided to disobey it. This led to certain opinions about the Civil Rights Movement to arise and become public. Eight Alabama white clergymen, who represented various churches, wrote “A Call for Unity: A Letter from Eight White Clergymen” in response to the protests that had broken out across Birmingham (“Unity”). Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail in 1963 because he and others were protesting the treatment of African Americans. He went on to write “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” as he waited, hunched over, in his jail cell (“Birmingham”). Both the clergymen and Dr. King used the art of argument to try to persuade people to believe their views on the issue.

Wear a mask, a sunglass , carry a bottle of water and an umbrella. This is how you walk in Kathmandu,Nepal, if you don’t want to be sick.Living in an unhealthy environment can bring a lot of health complications.You get sick and spend most of you time getting well. It was a surprise to visit baltimore ,because it was a very clean and green place. There were lots of trees and parks. It wanted to stay in baltimore, until I explored the outer county. I found there weren’t any bus shuttles, the houses were not managed properly , it looked dirty and most of all it smelled foul. And there are a number of people living in such poor conditions in Maryland.The contrast between the inner and the outer baltimore made me think, why is the outer

It all started in Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931 when a fight broke out between two groups of men, the blacks and the whites. Prior to that was the Great Depression in 1930 and during that time poverty and racial segregation were raging throughout the states. Almost all blacks were living in poverty or were poor. Segregation in Alabama during the 1930's was as bad as or worse than segregation in other states. The 1901 constitution of Alabama was based on white supremacy. There were separate public facilities such as water fountains, schools, restaurants and theaters. There were also many black labor laws in effect at the time, which prevented blacks from having high-ranking jobs. Interracial relationships and interracial marriages were not allowed. 1930's

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

The civil rights movement has caused many issues for African Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes “Letter From Birmingham Jail” as a response to the clergymen who share a different view with segregation. King placed his views from the idea that everyone is equal, rather than one is better because of their skin color. His letter from Birmingham jail shared many points, with the ending of segregation being the main goal. With his familiar clergymen with disagreements, he rebukes their letters with his take on the civil rights movement. His letter has an amazing pull from different views that unites America as one. Dr. King uses incites from the black community to share their side of segregation, while also presenting an argument using ethics, facts and emotion that establish his letter as unique.

Martin Luther King’s (MLK) “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was written in 1963 as a response to the Eight Alabama Clergymen’s public statement against King’s actions in April of that year. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist for desegregation of the south in the early 1960s and overcame much adversity to attain incredible gains on the segregation issue in the United States. King uses effective persuasive appeals of logical evidence, emotional appeal, and author credibility to win over his audience in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” MLK’s writing shows the effects of segregation in Birmingham with clear direct language and heart wrenching examples.

When he was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama he then fell under criticism by white clergy for coming to Birmingham as an “outsider” to cause trouble and increase tension through public sit-ins and marches. I feel that Martin Luther King was able to both set aside that criticism by establishing his credibility to have not only been invited to come to Birmingham to help end the injustice to the Negro people via peaceful means, but he was able to identify moral, legal and ethical cause to promote his quest to put a stop to what he identified as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States” (King, 2017, p, 3). I will provide a summary that will show what Martin Luther King believed were the cause of the injustice that he was striving to end to as well as his concern over the white community’s ability to make the Negro “wait for more than three hundred and forty years for our constitutional and God-given rights.”

After being forced to work countless hours in the hot sun in a field for little to no wage and for it to be finally be over, I would think that I would be treated as an equal in society. The Letter of Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther explained the aftermath of segregation how it affected African Americans. Segregation divided African Americans into three different groups those who benefitted from segregation, resorted to violence due to segregation, or accepted segregation. African Americans somehow had to gain social equality and still keep a harmless image in society. After relentless attempts to get the government’s attention so that they would take action against segregation, all the government did was prolong action. The government repressed

Segregation, discrimination, and racism still happens today; however, it’s not as direct as it was in 1963. In 1963, Birmingham,Alabama was one of the most segregated cities in America. While confined in jail, King wrote a letter in response to eight white ministers who wrote “A Call for Unity”, that explained how they wanted King to stop protesting, and to just wait for justice. In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr., a fellow clergyman and civil rights activist, writes to eight white ministers to comparing his shared values to those of the audience, arguing about the extent of segregation, and familiarizing the audience about how African Americans have been victims of a broken promise.

This town was the worst in the South for African Americans.” One of the most racist individuals Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor and the Mayor of Birmingham disregarded any of the directives regarding desegregation given to them. Challenges did not end once these two individuals were out of office. They still controlled the police of Birmingham and vowed to put all persons in jail that violated any laws. Abernathy and King knew if they could win Birmingham in their efforts to segregate then they very well could win the nation. So they set out to do this very thing. Abernathy spoke at rallies in Birmingham while others organized a march. King and Abernathy received warnings from ministers, Rabbi’s and priest that the proposed march was “untimely and unwise”. Once receiving this information Dr. King addressed the committee and declared that they would march right here and now! He along with Abernathy walked right out the door leaving a room full stunned and silent individuals. They walked past many of Bull Connor's advanced scouts and police cars to where they could hear the singing of the sixteenth Baptist Church. Once Dr. King stepped up to the pulpit he addressed the crowd. Once they stepped out of the church they faced a number of demonstrators which had grown tremendously, so had the number of others who were joining in the march. It didn’t take long for the police to intervene and Abernathy along with King were arrested. They

Martin Luther’s Kings “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a very powerful read, as it exposes the true meanings and examples of racism within that time period. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in inescapable network mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Racism, not only affects certain individuals who fall victim to it, but it also reflects upon those who promote it. I believe what MLK is trying to say is that these acts of racism don’t only shape certain communities or towns, but it shapes the country as a whole. “Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.” How can people stand up for something that they know is morally wrong? Perhaps

Bradley, Stefan. "Watching Jim Crow: The Struggles over Mississippi TV, 1955-1969." The Journal of African American History 90.1-2 (2005): 171+. World History Collection. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.

Often times it is said that “History repeats itself.” Never before has the struggle for equal rights and dignities amongst marginalized groups born such a resemblance to those waged in the name of equality in the past. Martin Luther King, Jr., an activist and leader for the Civil Rights Movement, drafted a powerful letter from the Birmingham Jail where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. The letter was intended to be a response to a public statement of concern and caution given by eight white religious leaders of the South. The author’s purpose for writing the letter was to explain the reasoning for participating in nonviolent demonstrations, as well as to assert the claim that justice is deserved within a society that has long been riddled with injustice. Martin Luther King, Jr’s. quest for understanding becomes apparent in his letter, as he uses pathos and references in order to appeal to his audience’s empathy, by providing an in-depth perspective into what prejudices he and other African-Americans faced in their daily lives.

One of the most remarkable events during the Civil Rights Movement was the Birmingham Church Bombing. This event took place on an early Sunday morning in 1963, just before the early service started at the Sixteenth Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. Nineteen sticks of dynamite had been placed beneath the church steps in the basement below; as a result, four young African American girls were tragically killed and others were severely injured (Dabkowski 1). The malevolent “Klu Klux Klan” was to blame for this horrific event. It was an act of pure evil and racism against African Americans. This tragedy left many African Americans heartbroken and angry with the US government. Between the mourning for the young lives lost and the frustration that the African Americans felt as second-class citizens, this event left a devastating mark in the Civil Rights Movement.