Martin Luther King Argument From Birmingham Jail

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
Works cited

Introduction

In the twentieth century the Black society of the United States faced with the hope for rights movement for Black population of America. The figure of Martin Luther King Jr. in the early sixties displayed that the racial segregation should be stopped immediately. The argument of Dr. King provides a clear background of the real reasons of his arrestment and his desire to grab attention of the Christian society of Birmingham’s clergymen in Alabama. Dr. King was active in making all possible rational actions effective by means of personal verbal implementation. Such work is related to his Letter from a Birmingham Jail which was written by the King in spring 1963 for clergymen of main religious communities at the place, so that to pay their attention toward what exactly was happening in the field of civil rights for Black people in the US at the time. I totally agree with the points being stated in King’s argument. The evaluation of why Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned and to what effects it might lead is underlined due to five personal objections raised in the work by King, namely: his outside actions, intentions to break the law, precipitate violence, “unwise and untimely” activities (King para 1), and his extremist actions. All these points were incriminated to King by the White society of the time, so there should be a rational explanation of why the Dr. King objected to such statements, and how he constructed his arguments as of each within the objections.

Discussion

Dr. King was a great agitator and could make people listen to what he said. This prospect is outlined with the reason of why he had been arrested. In fact, people who supported the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. organized a boycott of stores in Birmingham, Alabama, where white population is predominant. King tried to make clergymen realize the significance of the problem. Peaceful meeting of people is not a breaking of the law. Thus, King notes: “It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative” (King para 5)… The atmosphere over the situation drew to a head also with a fact that white churches were out of the process. It is when one of the Christian affiliates was placed in Alabama and was known as the “Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (King para 2). A rhetorical style of King presupposes a mere outline of misunderstanding or a lack of White peoples’ desire to make out the reasons for adversarial position.

A constant use of different statements by great Americans, such as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson rhetorically supports King in his compellation. Also the structure of the work is outlined with the historical experience about how the rights of a man should be protected. Thereupon, Martin Luther King Jr. urges to admit a quite logic fact: “…freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King para 11). It is seen here that the slogan is not for violence, but for a provision of equality in rights. Here the words of A. Lincoln are true, namely that the American nation “cannot survive half slave and half free” (King para 24). Moreover, to make emphasis King uses the previous experience of mankind and the development of political as well as social relations in the United States, which contradict the grounds of American nation’s formation.

The arguments of Dr. King are strong in making parallels as of the statements of White people about the actions of African Americans, as an act of precipitate violence. In this case King compares such unfair denunciation with a robbed man being condemned for his possession of money from the very beginning: “Isn’t this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery” (King para 21)? It is true, from the side of Dr. King, to prop up against the sound estimation of peaceful intentions of Black people underlined with strict analogies according to the arguments promoted.

A rather true objective of Dr. King touches upon believers’ inactivity and their untimely actions, in fact. Such criticism of churches and their representatives is outlined in the Letter in a following way: “Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave the clarion call for defiance and hatred” (King para 30)? The answers for such questions are considered by Martin Luther King Jr. with church communities’ fear for the activities of such kind.

The allegedly extremist inclinations of Martin Luther King are analyzed in the Letter due to his widespread influence on the Black communities all over the country. In fact, King wanted to unite American society. Thus, he writes regarding to the activity of demonstrators: “I wish you had commended the Negro sit-inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation” (King para 36).

Conclusion

To conclude, the arrest of Martin Luther King Jr. was not so long. Due to his ability to speak to people and make them concerned about the dramatic development of social relations in the US his legendary speech “I Have a Dream” was announced in Washington in August 1963.

Works cited

King, Martin Luther Jr. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]”.

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Martin Luther King Argument From Birmingham Jail

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