Martin Luther King Nonviolent Protest

In a, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. is forced to defend his non-violent protests against racism from some of his fellow clergy men who think his actions are not helping the cause. Martin Luther King’s counterargument draws on several sources: the Bible, philosophers, history, and personal experience. He argues that his nonviolent protest is a proactive move meant to spur action from both African Americans and US society against injustices that would otherwise be ignored if alternate approaches were taken. Besides being written from a jail cell, it is apparent through King’s letter that he is dedicated to the fight against racial in justice throughout the text. Although Martin Luther King Jr’s letter is not usual in being …show more content…
The biggest source that he uses in his letter is the Bible. As a reverend, Martin Luther King draw many of its themes towards reinforcing his argument. He uses the Old Testament story of the disobedience against Nebuchadnezzar to show that nonviolent protest is not a new concept. Jesus Christ, Paul, and Amos, a prophet from the Old Testament, are referenced as people who fought for their beliefs but could be viewed as extremists by other. These references are made to defend against accusation by the clergymen that King’s actions were too extreme. His reason for nonviolent protest comes from him St. Thomas Aquinas’ belief of following God’s moral law that goes against an unjust civil law. In addition to Christian philosophy, King also mentions Ancient and Enlightenment ideas to show that what he stands for is a universal right. The nonviolent protest is equated to Socrates’ pursuit of intelligence as both rely on tension to invoke change. Thomas Jefferson’s quote on the equality of man descends from Enlightenment thinkers who believed that governments received and lost their right to rule from its citizens. Martin Luther King also makes numerous references to …show more content…
He states his authority on the matter as he is both the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a personal witness to the abuse of African Americans. While the letter is mainly directed to the clergymen that disagree with his methods, the letter also seems to share in an open dialogue with society as a whole. He makes comments on society and peoples’ actions while drawing parallels to historical and biblical references so that his audience can understand the situation better. Powerful imagery and rhetorical questions are used often to illustrate the type of injustices that African Americans face in a society that treats them as second class citizens. One of his most convincing questions is when he asks if Jesus was an extremist for love to respond to people calling himself extreme over his protest leadership. The audience is forced to question if King is truly in the wrong in this situation. In addition to his rhetorical questions, tone also empowers the letter to accomplish more than what is just stated. He constantly defends his position with reason and sources while criticizing the clergymen for their inaction on the matter. Martin Luther King summarizes his position logically by stating laws that unfairly benefit one group create a feeling of superiority in the benefitted and a feeling of inferiority in the marginalized. He does not use as