Comparing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And Letter From Birmingham Jail

Decent Essays
Racism still exists today in the United States and around the world. No matter where you go, there is still some type of racism there. African Americans have come a long way in American history, but are they as equal as a white man? One of the most prolific civil rights activists ever known was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His voice and legacy will never be forgotten. During the late 1950s and 1960s, racism was at an all-time high. Schools were either segregated or just started to desegregate. Public facilities still had their designated “colored” and “white” sections. One of Dr. King’s most notorious writings was Letter from Birmingham Jail. The letters documented why he had been in Alabama and why he was in jail. Another dramatic work that demonstrated the cruel abuse African Americans endured was The Train from Hate. The story documented John Hope Franklin and his family in Oklahoma when they were mistreated just because of the color of their skin. There are a considerable amount of differences and similarities between Dr. King and Mr. Franklin. …show more content…
In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King states that the Birmingham Police Department arrested him for protesting against the treatment of black in Alabama. According to The Constitution of the United States, Amendment 1, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Dr. King was arrested for peacefully protesting the way African Americans were treated, which is a direct violation of his First Amendment rights as a citizen of The United States of America; because Dr. King was black, and in Alabama, nobody was going to impose the injustice that had struck Dr.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Analysis of Letter From a Birmingham Jail In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was asked to go to Birmingham to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program and was arrested as a result of this protest. A letter from several clergymen arrived to him during his incarceration criticizing his work as untimely and unwise. Martin Luther King responded to their critique in a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and explained the necessity of his presence. He explains that his actions were thoroughly planned out.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1963, Dr. King wrote a letter to eight white clergymen while he incarcerated in Birmingham Jail. This letters, which widely known as an important text of the civil rights movement, was Dr. King’s response to clergymen's criticism and accusation, in which he answered why he came to Birmingham fought for civil right and explained the indecency of racial injustice. He utilized several kinds of rhetorical strategies in his letter to establish pathos, ethos, and logos, which makes his argument more persuasive. The rigorous logical structure he established makes his letter more convincing.…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham jail was a detailed letter explaining the motives and emotion behind the non-violent protests that took place in the South. As a result of these protests, a few white religious leaders criticized the actions of Dr. King and those encouraging the non-violent campaigns. The purpose of this letter was to respond to criticism made by these leaders. In the letter Dr. King expounded on four of the leaders’ comments. He responded to the comments regarding the untimeliness of the campaigns, the willingness of the campaigners to break laws, the allegation that the campaigns triggered violence, and the description of the campaigns as extreme.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In April of 1963, when segregation was at its peak, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was jailed for his civil rights efforts in Alabama. A few days after Kings’ arrest, a group of 8 local white clergymen got together and criticized his protests. While in his jail cell, King replied to the ministers as well as to the white middle class by writing his response on the margins of a newspaper and on toilet paper. He excels in the structure of his letter and the usage of pathos, ethos, and logos to protect him in the dispute. From his creditability of being the President of the SCLC, to the emotional appeal to the white moderate, all the way to the logical persuasion he uses by reasoning, King justifies his desire for racial justice.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It became known as one of the most important documents of the Civil Rights Movement. Although, it did set positive effects on the movement, they were not immediate. It took several weeks before King’s letter was published in the newspapers. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, King stated that African-Americans had been patient for too long, and they weren’t going to stop until they got equality. Many people, of course, did not agree with King’s words.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. led the way towards the end of racial segregation by his irrepressible drive to achieve social change. During his lifetime he endured many acts of discrimination to which he responded by peaceful protest and strong pieces of writing. One example is his letter written after his imprisonment in Birmingham jail because of a coordinated march against segregation. The purpose of his letter was to respond to the clergymen that labeled the march unwise. Martin Luther King uses ethos, logos, and pathos to argue to the clergyman that the strategy of peaceful resistance against discrimination is necessary.…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” King responds to the criticism written by a group of clergymen about the work that King is pursuing in Birmingham. Although King directly addresses his fellow clergymen he also expresses his strong disappointment in the white churches of the south and the wide range of white moderates. Making it clear that these groups are not in favor of king and the work that he is doing, King explains the flaws of how those who fight against him are not solely fighting against their own brothers and sisters, but are also damaging themselves. Kings followers are the many oppressed people in the black community in need of secured civil rights, as well as select individuals of white churches, businesses,…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The fight over whether or not segregation should be allowed was a long and hard battle that was led by many people, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He organized and participated in many nonviolent protests to act against segregation in America. King stated that the reason he was in Birmingham jail was because “injustice was here” (King). After being arrested, he wrote a response to a public statement issued by eight white religious southern leaders. The letter King wrote used imagery, diction, and metaphors to give people insight on the way that African Americans were actually treated by police officers.…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Letter from a Birmingham Jail Analysis Essay In this letter, King uses various tones to respond to a group of white clergymen who argue that his way of fighting social injustice is improper and to justify his means to try to achieve his purpose. King is a true civil rights activist and believes in only acting respectfully and nonviolently, but at the same time, the white clergymen, advocates of civil rights, condemn his nonviolent protest. King is “not unmindful of the difficulties involved” so he and his fellow activists have “decided to go through a process of self-purification” to be able to “accept blows” and to endure the “ordeals of jail” (King 1, 2). King uses his calm, explanatory tone to establish his creditability to his critics.…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    From the letter that Martin Luther King Jr. wrote while in Birmingham Jail were very deep in there meaning and strength in regards to the segregation between the White American and the African American community in America. From these letters the most shocking realization is how although there was no laws regarding the demonstrations that were happening at the time the Black community were still being jailed and mistreated. The police were not treating them as if they were humans, they would set the police dogs on the men and let them sink their teeth into as if they were another animal. As for the young and elderly members of the African American community they would be slapped, kicked and beat.…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When learning something new, it is easier to understand a topic or a philosophy when the person learning can feel a connection to what they are learning about. For example, teachers, authors, and philosophers often use metaphors or similes to help their pupil connect with their views, ultimately furthering their understanding. A string of facts behind facts does not register as well as something that can be directly connected to someone. Although both Martin Luther King, author of “Letter From Birmingham City Jail” and a strong advocate for African American rights, and Gandhi, author of the “Dandi March Speech” and leader of the Indian Independence Movement, both use rhetoric to further convey their message of equality and nonviolent direct action to their audience, King’s passion infused diction is ultimately more convincing than Gandhi’s logical approach. While using…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While writing the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers knew the importance of human rights for Americans. The ideals of equality for everyone were challenged as discrimination rose. The fight for equal human rights led to the Civil Rights Movement. During this movement, many prominent leaders led the way for change. In the writings, “Racism: The Cancer that is Destroying America” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, two emerging human rights activists present their perspective on eradicating racism in America.…

    • 1463 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for freedom and equality of African American people and is now a well known historical person for what he did for people all around the nation. Segregation and discrimination have been going on for quite some time now. Negroes didn’t have their rights, there are separate places for white people and colored people, white people feel superior to African Americans, and nothing is changing. This is until Martin Luther King Jr., a minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, gave his powerful “I Have a Dream” speech and wrote his cogent letter directed to the Clergymen, “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” King was a leader of the African American civil rights movement, lead nonviolent protest, and spoke out against poverty…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the movement King and others earned themselves and African Americans the right of freedom of speech. Throughout King’s work, “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he shares logic to show information with his audience,…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Consequently, he began by describing his reasons for being in Birmingham because many people at the time believed strongly against “outsiders coming in” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.], n.d). He explains that he was invited to participate in a peaceful action program to counteract social injustices and that he had organizational connections in Birmingham. He continues to explain how peaceful actions, such as marches, were organized in order to create “constructive, nonviolent tension” with the goal of causing negotiations in which true civil rights could be obtained (Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.], n.d). After many…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays