The Letter From Birmingham Jail Was Written By Dr. Martin

The letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a famous and influential activist during the period of Civil Rights struggle in 1960 s America, from a confinement cell in Birmingham as a response to the open letter written and published by eight white clergymen from Birmingham. In their letter, the clergymen criticized Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) for their activism, while commending the Birmingham police. Though Dr. King structures the Letter as a direct response to the clergymen, they are ultimately a means through which he addresses white moderates in general and society at large. The Letter reflects many of his central philosophies, including those of nonviolence, civil†¦show more content†¦When they decided they could, they then prepared to protest. However, the SCLC chose to hold out because Birmingham had impending mayoral elections. Though the notorious racist Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor was defeated in the election, his successor, Albert Boutwell, was also a pronounced segregationist. Therefore, the protests began. Dr. King understands that the clergymen value negotiation over protest, but he insists that negotiations cannot happen without protest, which creates a â€Å"crisis† and â€Å"tension† that forces unwilling parties (in this case, the white business owners) to negotiate in good faith. He admits that words like â€Å"tension† frighten white moderates, but embraces the concepts as â€Å"constructive and nonviolent.† He provides examples that suggest tension is necessary for humans to grow, and repeats that the tension created by direct action is necessary in this case if segregation is to end. He next turns to the clergymen criticism that the SCLC action is â€Å"untimely.† After insisting that Albert Boutwell was not different enough to warrant patience, he launches into an extended claim that â€Å"privileged groups† will always oppose action that threatens the status quo. They will always consider attacks on their privilege as â€Å"untimely,† especially because groups have a tendency towards allowing immorality that individuals might oppose. Dr. King insists that the black man has waited â€Å"more than 340 years† for justice, and he then launches into a litany of abuses thatShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Speech : Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.1334 Words   |  6 Pagesthe most important part of the speech is not what is said during the speech, but what the audience feels and remembers after the speech was over. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a powerful advocate of African American rights, was an expert at convincing his audience to feel and react to his speeches however he wanted them to. One of the main ways he achieved this was through the use of the artistic proofs. The ‘artistic proofs’ is a term coined by the ancient greek philosopher known as Aristotle (User)Read MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail Analysis1617 Words   |  7 Pagesamusement park,; that was the painful impediment that African Americans of the 1960’s faced solely due to the melanin in their skin (King 2). Among these African Am ericans was the reverend, doctor, humanist, husband, and Civil Rights activist, Mr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a middle class, black man with a life-long devotion of implementing ethnic equality to African Americans nationwide. Following one of Rev. King’s peaceful protests in Birmingham, Alabama, he was jailed on accounts ofRead MoreLetter from Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr. Essay938 Words   |  4 Pages Is it not ironic that Martin Luther King Jr. s, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, which testifies to his struggle for Civil Rights; not only contradicts the time Martin Luther King wrote it in, but also echoes the same sentiments of today’s moral causes and laws? . Dr. King (*) then known as Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter to Birmingham in response to his fellow clergymen’s criticisms of him being locked up for his actions in Birmingham’s Civil Rights protest. The letter’sRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail By Dr. Martin Luther King1510 Words   |  7 PagesLetter from Birmingham Jail was a letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from a solitary confinement cell in Birmingham, Alabama. Some portions of the letter were written and gradually smuggled out by King s lawyer on scraps of paper including, by some reports, rough jailhouse toilet paper. Violent racist terror against African Americans was so horrible in Bir mingham in the summer of 1963 that the city was being referred to by some locals as â€Å"Bombingham†. King had been arrested while participatingRead MoreDeclaration of Independence and Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr. are two American men who were key leaders during very controversial periods in U.S. history, and they were instrumental in movements that forever changed American society. Although their generations, cultures, backgrounds, and motives were quite different, their cause was relatively the same. It was a cause that stood against injustice, oppression, and sought the freedom of all men. Their beliefs and struggles were evident in their writings. Two of theRead MoreAn Analysis of Letter from a Birmingham Jail Essay1090 Words   |  5 Pages Letter from a Birmingham Jail was written by Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1963, as he sat, as the title states, in a Birmingham, Alabama jail. King had been jailed for his participation in a peaceful protest of segregation in public places such as lunch counters and public restrooms (Berkley, 2003). While jailed, King read a criticism of the protest by a group of white ministers, who felt such demonstrations â€Å"directed and in part led by outsiders† were â€Å"unwise and untimely†Read MoreWhy Kings Letter from a Birmingham Jail Resounds throughout American History?926 Words   |  4 PagesTime: Why Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail Resounds Throughout American History Dr. Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail is a direct response to A Call for Unity, a letter penned by eight Alabama clergymen including one rabbi. In A Call for Unity, the eight clergymen decry the peaceful protests organized by Dr. King and his fellow civil rights activists. The clergymen claim that the protests are unwise and untimely. In his response written from jail, Dr. King outlines allRead MoreCivil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreaus Letter From A Birmingham Jail1605 Words   |  7 PagesThoreau and The Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and taking a closer look at their rhetorical devices and strategy’s. In Civil disobedience by Henry David Thoreau shows us the need to prioritize some one’s wellbeing over what the law says. American laws are criticized mostly over slavery and the Mexican-American war. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† was written in response to a letter writt en by clergymen criticizing the actions of Dr. King and theRead MoreOutline And Objective Of A Persuasive Text1284 Words   |  6 Pageshave an empty picture. Evidence and reasoning are the two basic pieces of your persuasive letter. Without these, you’ll simply have a frame—your claim—without information to complete the argument. Explaining how things connect for your reader is one of the most important ways to strengthen your argument. Today s lesson objective is: Students will be able to develop an analysis using relevant evidence from texts to support claims, opinions, ideas, and inferences. When reading a persuasive textRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay examples651 Words   |  3 Pagesthe â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† (Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail) written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the three artistic appeals of Aristotle are plainly apparent, especially logos. Dr. King repeatedly appeals to logos (Ruszkiewicz) throughout the entire piece; particularly when he says he was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist then gradually gained a matter of satisfaction from the label. He is very impassioned in his language and tone in this part of the letter, yet