We all are aware of Dr. King and his legacy. Famously known for his powerful presence while giving speeches, one of his most famous moments in the civil rights movement came via the written word.
Imprisoned in 1963 for leading nonviolent protests in Birmingham, AL, MLK Jr. wrote an incredible response to eight local white ministers who thought he should "cool it". The eight ministers took out a full page ad in the local newspaper advocating for a "Call for Unity". The group called the MLK-led protests "unwise and untimely".
Although imprisoned, King wrote a response on scraps of paper and the margins of newspaper. His "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" has become a seminal document in the defense of his cause and methods.
Please read the full text of his letter here. In the comment section, discuss what struck you the most after reading his letter.
I thought it was interesting that martin Luther King junior said "I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid." When he was in the jail in Birmingham, he wrote letters frequently. He was making his case from within bars. He didn't let it stop him. He said, "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters;" he didn't stop fighting for what he wanted for him and the other African Americans of America. He said I have longed to hear white ministers declare: "Follow this decree because integration is morally right and because the Negro is your brother." It really showed how passionate he was about his cause. (287)
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. wrote letters to people while he was in jail. He kinda was like Paul in a way he made some of his most influential statements while he was in jail. I guess you get to think a lot about what is going on in the world when u can't do anything but sit on ur but and think and listen and sing to your self because u can not do anything. I wonder who he wrote the letters to. I would love to read those letters because that would be so cool just to see in the head of Martin Luther King Jr. because he was such and interesting man and all he ever wanted was freedom and he was so well spoken and he just made everybody feel like he knew what he was doing. he knew what he wanted and was not going to stop until he got it and was satisfied that he did everything in his power to get it. Because he was not a quitter he was a fighter he was a winner he was a leader he was the man cut out for the job because he had a plan and he had followers to make it happen.(208)
ReplyDeleteWhen martin Luther king jr came to Birmingham he thought a little highly of the white people. He later talked about this and he said that he was disappointed in them. One thing that he said or a quote of his that I really liked and made sense to me was "There can be no deep disappointment where there is no deep love" So this basically like him talking about the church. In one part of his letter, he talks about the church. He says that he is disappointed in the church. He is not saying he hates it because he actually grew up in the church and has family members as pastors but he related it all to his protest on the bus. He thought for sure that the churches would be on his side. Some may ask, Why? well because if that church is for people's rights and if they are for doing right then they should be for a black man who is standing up against the racist people. Sad to say some churches were against him doing this and then some churches just stayed silent and said and did nothing. It is sad to say that still exist some today in our world. (207)
ReplyDeleteThis is about Martin Luther king when he was put in jail he had a few amount of writings in back in the1960s. The way he to communicate with the outside world was through writing with his leaders he wanted to show that there was unfair crime happening outside and in the state lines he even made a reference to the Bible story with shadrach mesach and abendigo he said that we shouldn't ow down to their authority when they know what was right. They shouldn't have to follow he way the white people wanted to and that was what Martin Luther king jr was showing that they had a voice it only took a certain person that would stand forth against white men and show that he needed to be believed in. He was a man that inspired young African American everyday and everywhere across the southern part of the United States. He was an example of how every man regardless of race is how every man should act and carry themselves on a day to day basis. Dr king was one of the most influential person in the history of America because he stood for what is right.
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At the beginning of the letter he is describing the organizations that he is involved in and the main one being the southern Christian leadership conference and how they are spread all across the south with the heart at Atlanta. A thing that really stuck out to me is when you can see comparisons to the apostles back in the day and can understand how large scale the movement was. A quote also stuck out to me earlier in the article and it said "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere" which was true because you could see the racial hate crimes everywhere in the south and still in other parts of the country. They said the Birmingham demonstrations had come as the only option and that there was no way to do things differently and no alternative. Some store merchants acted like they would take down their stores racial signs because of the movement and the two sides thought they had an agreement but months passed and the African American groups had been betrayed and the merchants broke those promises.many lAw enforcement took away african Americans rights of freedom of a peaceful assembly which is a first amendment privilege. Many African Americans expressed their anger with the white churches comparing what was happening to the African American community as what the nazis did to the Hungarian people and Jewish people In the beginning of World War Two. 220
ReplyDeleteWhat really struck me about this letter was how he right away states he's in jail and writing to his fellow 'Clergymen". He is being honest about his condition. I'm sure being in jail gives you plenty of time to think about what to write down on a letter and clears your mind to think. Also the quote from the letter "You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. " I think its important to note the way that he wanted to treat things. He also says "Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue." He brings up an important point about justice being delayed might as well be justice denied. I think this is very important. You cannot just ignore something that is so twisted in society. It's basically like sweeping it under the rug only for it to come back worse later. (226)
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Before stating my main ideas I've learned, I would like to acknowledge that Dr. King is quite possibly one of the most profound and historical persons in American history. His knowledge and willingness to keep fighting and pushing the man made boundaries of logic and reason is something so well thought out and so calculated that it is a shame that we don't have similar leaders in this day and age. His arguments were always approached with love and respect to all people, regardless of their political background, race, or religion. Even when he didn't agree with others, he showed that discrimination in any way, shape, or form is wrong. That being said, what stuck out to me the most is the fact that he offered logical, philosophical, Biblical, and justifiable proof to his arguments with no room for error or questioning. All done while in prison. No books, certainly no internet, and not even normal blank paper to write on. I certainly don't understand how one could write so effectively while in a prison of all places. I also cannot understand how someone could read this and not feel the slightest singe of guilt or pain for the issue. People at the time actually read this and thought nothing of it, simply sticking to their racist mindset and dismissing the idea. Morally, a person must be so brainwashed and dazed today to feel no emotion to this. But in his time, this is how people were raised, especially in the south. Bigotry thrived, racism soared and spread like disease, and hate was like a drug, twisting and sickening people everywhere. Even to the point where it eventually took his own life away from him. It is so upsetting that he couldn't write more profound things later in his life because his life was taken far too soon. (308)
ReplyDeleteInstead of writing about something I read in the letter, I'd like to focus more on the letter as a whole. I believe that besides the Declaration of Independence, this is arguably one of the most important and influential written documents in the history of the United States. Not only is it written by the very man who changed the civil rights movement forever and opened the eyes of the country, but when I read this letter I could see MLK jr. up in front of thousands of people using this letter as an actual speech. Even though he's not speaking it I can still feel the passion even in his writing. I think my favorite quote from this letter comes from near the beginning when he says this: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly". I've never heard it put like that before and the amount of truth in it is so vast. (Also I had never heard of a parading permit before but that's kind of a dumb law)... Back to the point; the bravery and leadership of MLK Jr. is second to none and he is truly one of the most heroic and influential people in history. (224)
ReplyDeleteThis is about Martin Luther king when he was put in jail. As I was reading this sentence just really struck me; We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. To me it means that you have to fight for freedom and fight for what you want in this world because it isn't just given to you you have to fight for it. That sentence also reminds me of like the whole African American movement because nothing ever came easy for them they also had to fight for everything they wanted like voting and freedom. This sentence also struck my interstices the while readying this Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. what this sentence meant to me kind of was just that like everyone yerns for freedom and just to be able to do what we want to do and live our own lives the way we want to and back then especially African Americans really struggled to be able to do the things they wanted and to have freedom. 200
ReplyDeleteThe life of Martin Luther King is pretty incredible honestly and yes i think what caught my mind was the life that he lived. To be honest, Martin Luther King was a modern day Paul of his time except for the fact that they stood up for just a little different causes. Both causes were for good but one stood for the rights of black people in America versus Paul who stood up for the cause of spreading the Christian faith. Martin reminds me mostly of them because he is writing these letters from prison. He writes letters planning out how to set up these rally's that they have. Ways that they can help improve their cause. However the big reason they are similar in my opinion is because of the fact that they both wrote encouraging letters to the people just like Paul. Showing them the prize at the end of the day and the goal that they were working toward. He encouraged them, pressed them to do their best, moved them, inspired them. That is what truly caught my attention was how Luther lived a very similar life to Paul. His life was an inspiration to many and his letters pushed others to push for black rights. (208)
ReplyDeleteOne of the lines that's stuck out to me from this said "How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.." I completely agree with this part. To me, it means that a just law (the right kind of law) meets up with the law of God. They both tie together and the truths of God are seen throughout the rights of the just law. Martin Luther clearly states his reason for going to Birmingham- with the hope that the white religious leadership would see the justice of their cause and serve as the channel through which they could reach power structure. He knew what he wanted and he worked to get it. He pursued things and stated his mind. I think that shows a real genuine personality and character and says a lot about who he is. He stated that after this, he hoped each person would understand, but he was disappointed. Many churches were against what Luther had to say and what he wanted to do. Yes, everyone should have their own opinions, but it all comes down to what is right and what is wrong. Overall I think that Martin Luther King Jr. was an honest man and should still be given respect for all he's done. (231)
ReplyDelete“I hope you are able to see the distinction I am trying to point out. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” This stuck out to me most because he knew where he stood and what his job was and the penalties and consequences of it and he accepted for the rights of him his people and people in the future as our day and age and he made the biggest impact in the civil rights movement. He got put in jail multiple times had his house burnt down and death threats sent to him called in and about his family yet he kept on knowing what could happen. But going back to that paragraph is so true because some people would do it and then act like they're not in the wrong and try and defend themselves and go against the law but he knew what he was doing was against the law even if it wasn't right and accepted it did what he thought was best and then when they came for him he surrendered without a fight in respect. Just to prove the law wrong I also heard one of his famous sayings was we can't win this battle with hatred or fighting we have to do it with love so I think instead of fighting some of the things or his enemies as some people would say he just killed them with kindness and love to where they had nothing against him or felt bad for it or knew that he was in the right whether the law said it or not.
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DeleteSeveral things stuck me as I read this amazingly insightful Letter. MLK jr. was a passionate and very intelligent man, and this shows in his powerful words. I find it inspiring that he wrote this entire Letter in jail. Not safe and sound, behind a desk with an atlas or dictionary at hand and a warm fire crackling, but injustly imprisoned, injustly treated for peacefully fighting the injustice inflicted on others by others. He was activly suffering for his cause, and that lends his words here great weight. He spoke about complacency in the church, which was painfully true back then, and sadly true today. Especially in our government, it seems like we have too many Christians who are content with being the 'thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion' instead of the 'thermostat that transformed the mores of society'.
ReplyDeleteThe great Irony today is that the situation is flipped on it's head, Christians are accused of denying the rights of others, transgenders for example, and vilified for trying to uphold the status quo of one man and one woman. But, dispite many good reasons to take a stand, too few Christians do so, while others, either out of petty malice, or misleading teachings, are hateful to those who are different or struggle with this, inside of following the gospel to "hate the sin, love the sinner". This in turn as has given rise to hate and disgust for the church, exactly as MLK predicted.
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