Martin Luther King's Letter To Birmingham

In his letter to the clergymen, King discusses the injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham. He even states, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (800). This quote is in response to people telling Dr. King to leave Birmingham because he is not from Alabama and has no right protesting in Birmingham. However, his letter explains the reason for his involvement in the non-violent, direct-action demonstrations. King alludes to the leaders of major movements in the past to explain to the clergymen that he is going to peacefully fight for change, just like the leaders in the past. King also explains the steps he is going to take in order to carry out his direct-action, nonviolent campaign. Additionally as evidence, …show more content…
This makes King credible because it shows that he is proactive in ending segregation by leading a group of people and participating in nonviolent protests. Also, King himself is African American so he has faced the many hardships and violence he talks about in his letter first hand. Additionally, King acknowledges the clergymen who wrote the letter he's responding to by respecting their credibility as men of good will who are all knowledgeable about Bible teachings. A majority of King’s letter is pathos because he wants the clergymen to sympathize for the movement and understand just how much injustice the Blacks are facing. He vividly describes what Black Americans have to go through in the segregated South, he also offered insight into the way the criminal justice system treated African Americans. King makes a very logical argument in his letter. He refutes each of the counter arguments with factual evidence. He includes details about the local political situation in the South as well as explains in detail why non-violent disobedience is the best way to protest. He defines and clarifies any point that could confuse the clergymen by giving a detailed