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Letters From Birmingham Jail
Oct. 7th, 2011 11:24 pmMartin Luther King, Jr. “Letters From Birmingham Jail” was a letter directed to the group of 8 Clergymen that showed their disapproval of Martins methods in Birmingham, although Martin did not often answer these types of criticisms he found that these people of “Good will” deserved an explanation of his actions. These actions didn’t endorse the extremist label that many of these clergy had of Martin, instead Martin attempts to show the events, not as an anarchist event, but as a struggle and while doing so shows the frustration that he and a large portion of the African American population felt in the 1960s.
Birmingham, Alabama was the leading American city of racial injustice which showed through their use of “white only establishments,” “uninvestigated bombing of African American homes and businesses” and political emphasis on segregation. This is why Martin went to Birmingham, because “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin then answered many of the questions asked by the clergy about Birmingham, Such as the appearance of himself being an outside agitator, the process in which he decided that direct action was the only way to influence change and finally the direct action itself.
It was through these questions that we see martins true intentions and the frustration he feels with a community that has reached its level of tolerance for such harsh societal injustices.This protest was not the first thing that Martin had done, there were petitions, meetings with the economics committee, but all of these did not show the promise of renewed negotiation that he wanted so he went to the last Alternative. Direct action in the form of a protest. Martin did not want a group of anarchists to create an environment of destruction and fear, instead he wanted an environment of “nonviolent tension” to expose the problems that are already present, but largely ignored. Martin believed that this expression of non violent tension, such as joining a rally, going on freedom drives and expressing yourself freely with an open and confident state of mind would not only be beneficial for the removal of segregation in societies, but also to stop people from going to other more violent forms of protest.
After this explanation of why direct action was necessary in Birmingham, we start to see Martins more emotional opinions of social injustice and why it was so important to do thins now instead of waiting. He shows his frustration by sharing stories about the 6 year old girl who could not understand why white people were so cruel or why she could not go to an amusement park because they were black. It is with these actions that the legal system help enforce with laws of segregation or “unjust laws” that Martin believed were supposed to be opposed by the people with the moral fortitude to do what is right for society.
Martins final argument was with the church itself, stating that “I thought the white church would be one of our strongest supporters”, when Martin saw this it was clear how frustrated he was. As an advocate of god and the church as a beacon of tolerance and peace he was not expecting such a backlash from the white church, with a few exceptions; however the majority of them said, “Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no concern.” Martins final words to the church weren't words of hate or disapproval of their opinions, but of understanding, hope and returning to the values of Christianity that Martin had put so much emphasis on.
Martin Luther King,Jr. was one of the most influential people of his time, his unprecedented drive for racial and social justice still remain the source of inspiration for people all over the world. It’s sad to think that he was taken from us at such a young age and it would have been amazing to see the kind of change that he could have helped instil in our society if he had been alive just a little longer.
Thank you
Birmingham, Alabama was the leading American city of racial injustice which showed through their use of “white only establishments,” “uninvestigated bombing of African American homes and businesses” and political emphasis on segregation. This is why Martin went to Birmingham, because “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin then answered many of the questions asked by the clergy about Birmingham, Such as the appearance of himself being an outside agitator, the process in which he decided that direct action was the only way to influence change and finally the direct action itself.
It was through these questions that we see martins true intentions and the frustration he feels with a community that has reached its level of tolerance for such harsh societal injustices.This protest was not the first thing that Martin had done, there were petitions, meetings with the economics committee, but all of these did not show the promise of renewed negotiation that he wanted so he went to the last Alternative. Direct action in the form of a protest. Martin did not want a group of anarchists to create an environment of destruction and fear, instead he wanted an environment of “nonviolent tension” to expose the problems that are already present, but largely ignored. Martin believed that this expression of non violent tension, such as joining a rally, going on freedom drives and expressing yourself freely with an open and confident state of mind would not only be beneficial for the removal of segregation in societies, but also to stop people from going to other more violent forms of protest.
After this explanation of why direct action was necessary in Birmingham, we start to see Martins more emotional opinions of social injustice and why it was so important to do thins now instead of waiting. He shows his frustration by sharing stories about the 6 year old girl who could not understand why white people were so cruel or why she could not go to an amusement park because they were black. It is with these actions that the legal system help enforce with laws of segregation or “unjust laws” that Martin believed were supposed to be opposed by the people with the moral fortitude to do what is right for society.
Martins final argument was with the church itself, stating that “I thought the white church would be one of our strongest supporters”, when Martin saw this it was clear how frustrated he was. As an advocate of god and the church as a beacon of tolerance and peace he was not expecting such a backlash from the white church, with a few exceptions; however the majority of them said, “Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no concern.” Martins final words to the church weren't words of hate or disapproval of their opinions, but of understanding, hope and returning to the values of Christianity that Martin had put so much emphasis on.
Martin Luther King,Jr. was one of the most influential people of his time, his unprecedented drive for racial and social justice still remain the source of inspiration for people all over the world. It’s sad to think that he was taken from us at such a young age and it would have been amazing to see the kind of change that he could have helped instil in our society if he had been alive just a little longer.
Thank you
