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.
There are a lot of things that stood out to me from MLK’s “ Letter From a Birmingham Jail. The first thing that stood out to me from MLK’s Letter was the reason why he was in the place he was when he wrote this letter. I would have never thought that the reason why MLK’s is where he is was because he was invited to come that seems a little suspicious to me. The second thing that stood out to me from MLK’s Letter is that the purpose of him writing this is to talk about the injustice and mistreatment of African American rights. I found it interesting how MLK brought up an example from the Bible of why he was in the place he is. Another thing that stood out to me from MLK’s Letter was how he didn’t realize at first that he and his colleagues were in this situation as “Victims of a broken promise.” The last thing that stood out to me from MLK’s Letter was how he was trying to fight for his freedom and that he was trying to fight for where he stood and what he believed in, in order to bring justice. (200)
ReplyDeleteAs I read through Martin Luther King, “A letter from a Birmingham Jail” many things stuck out to me from it. To start MLK says that we’re all responsible for justice across the nation and around the world. This shows that we all have a part in the justice around the world and the justice they fought for they wanted it and needed it now. Another thing that stuck out to me that he said is, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He felt that freedom had to be demanded because freedom was not given to blacks. Another quote that stuck out to me is, “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 the law.” This showed that Mlk had much respect for the law. And lastly I like how he had a goal and even in jail he still fought for his goal to get African Americans the rights they deserved and did everything to get treated fairly. (Word Count:208)
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King, Jr. made a lot of points that stuck out to me In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” One of the first things I noticed was despite the criticism that he implied he constantly received, he stated he wanted to reply to these men because they were men of “genuine good will.” The next thing I noticed in his letter is he also took the time to talk about God and used God’s word as his justification and to me that was amazing. The fact that he was doing all of this with a good attitude while in Jail is also very respectable. He proceeded to explain his nonviolent campaign. He talked about how change hadn’t happened for centuries and that it was years of continuous pain. He went through an extreme to write this letter and he took a courageous opportunity to explain his feelings to people who were trying to put a stop to his consistent campaigning for equal rights. He even brought up serious history. He talked about Hitler and how everything Hitler did was actually considered “legal” but when other people try to defend themselves and get equal rights they are arrested and it is considered “illegal.” He never stopped fighting and giving continuous educated reasons for why he was right.
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There is a lot of good topics to discuss in Martin Luther Kings Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Also known as a “Letter From Birmingham City Jail and The Negro Is Your Brother.” Such as why he was in there. But I’m going to focus on the topic of the mistreatment of African-Americans. The only reason he was even put in jail was for protest against the treatment of African-Americans. As we learned on Thursday in the video about “Freedom Summer”, they brought in heavy equipment, firearms, and an armored truck. All of that crap for white and black men, women and children that are nonviolently protesting against their unfair treatment as Americans citizens. Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to get the white people to give the African-Americans the exact treatment as the white people do. In his letter, he sought out to five ministers and they got the letter into the newspaper as quickly as possible. They too wanted the unfair treatment to be brought to justice. A lot of men have men killed for protesting and lots more have been beat to critical conditions or to death. All because the white people were afraid of the African-Americans able to rise to power.
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After reading Martin Luther King’s, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, many things stuck out to me. I think the first thing that caught my attention was the reasons he was in jail and he was writing this letter. MLK Jr. claims that he is in Birmingham because “injustice is here.” He captures the reader's attention by the use of language he uses well in this letter. From the beginning of the letter he says that the men he is responding to are “men of genuine goodwill.” What stuck out to me was the way he used propaganda and certain techniques in order to capture the reading and the ideas his beliefs. Martin Luther King Jr. talking about the poverty of the african americans and the police brutality against the african american community really caught my attention because of how much he wanted to show everyone how african americans were being depicted in this movement. Another topic that stuck out to me was that he mentioned God a whole lot in this letter he wrote. He says that he must turn his faith towards the inner spiritual church or “the church within a church.” I think the thing that stuck out to me the most was MLK’s sticking to his beliefs he strongly believed and goals he had wanted to accomplish while being in jail. (224 words)
ReplyDeleteAs I read Martin Luther King’s, “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail” many things stuck out to me as he made many great points. One of the things that stuck out to me was when he talked about the just and unjust laws and the difference and how he thinks the just laws should be outlawed. One way he describes the difference of these for us to understand is how, everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” but everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal”. He uses these descriptions and metaphors to then turn it around on racism so we can see it from a different angel. While reading this you get such a different perspective on the days back then and the segregation and racism and how truly horrific it was. He shares how he thought coming to Birmingham, he could find a white religious leader of the community that would not only have concern for the problems but help them do something about. He is devastated when he comes to Birmingham, and not just Birmingham but also Alabama and Mississippi, and finds nothing but harshness thrown against him. MLK also brings in his view on God and christians. Although the “christian church” didn’t always help him in the ways he needed he reassured in God and it gave him much peace. All together we can learn a lot from MLK’s letter. (237)
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading MLK’s letter, I was touched by many things he said. He worded the letter with elegance and without anger. His letter did educate me on the racial problems during this time, but it also made me think about my life personally. I was able to sit back and think about how the people must’ve felt. The conflict of racial segregation divided many groups. It caused hurt and confusion. MLK said that they repeatedly asked themselves, "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" I know this is a small portion of the letter, but it made me think about everything. We can still ask ourselves this question today. Our World has faced many problems. We have progressively gotten out of them, but more things happen each day. We have to ask ourselves this question sometimes. Another thing that stood out to me was how he questioned himself sometimes. He wasn’t always confident in his decisions. He had to do the hard things instead of the easy things sometimes. And that’s not usually the first choice we pick during hardships. This letter encouraged me but also reminded me to think about these things we have faced; to look how far we’ve come. (203)
ReplyDeleteWhat really struck me about Martin Luther King Jr. letter was that, Dr. King used the opportunity to bring everybody up to speed about the protests in Birmingham, what they were about (horrible systemic racism); why the protesters were civilly disobeying (racist) laws and ordinances; why the protestors had truth and justice (and Jesus/America) on their side; and how Dr. King was disappointed with clergymen in the South and so-called white moderates who supposedly believed in his cause but didn't like the "tension" and unrest caused by the protests. Dr. King asks how the clergymen can express their unhappiness with the demonstrations while ignoring the whole reason they're happening in the first place. He patiently explains that the Black community has no choice.He details how the SCLC leadership has been doing everything very deliberately, and how they've carefully chosen when and where to protest and demonstrate: Birmingham, because it's one of the most segregated places in America; "Now" because they've already delayed the campaign several times waiting for the local elections to be over so they wouldn't interfere with the result. Dr. King claims that the Black community has always been told that "now isn't the time," and that they just have to be patient for justice to come. (211)
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