Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail - Research Paper Example

?Martin Luther King's “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” It was in the 1900s that racism and segregation on the basis of the same had increased to an extreme level in Birmingham. The state is considered to have a brutal past, more severe than compared to other states of the United States of America in terms of racism that played a major role in defining the civil rights of the nation. During the period, racial discrimination was also supported by the then government of Birmingham through racial zoning and other segregation laws (Connerly, 2005). The role played by the government during this period in Birmingham had been stated as unethical and immoral as it was apparently against the human personality and thus was ‘unjust’ (Williams & Lazerow, 2008; Leiman, 2010). These confrontations of ‘unjust’ laws in the period fuelled up the violence in the states against the segregation of white ethnic groups and blacks or the African-American ethnic groups. It was due to this reason that Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned in the year 1963 (BBC, 2011). The basic reason for Martin Luther King’s imprisonment was his engagement in the violent acts against the segregation ordinances enforced by the government in Birmingham in 1960s. After the postponement of the march for three times, which was intended by Martin Luther King and other civil rights activists and various other senior members of Birmingham's economic community, it was executed on 12th April in 1963 in Washington (Flora & Et. Al., 2002). In this march he offered ‘one of the most famous speeches in American History’ titled as “I have a dream” that apparently and most certainly was against the segregation ordinances of the then government and thus was considered to be illegal and violent (Ross, 1963). Understanding that the speech shall result into severe violations of the government rules and therefore it was decided to imprison Martin Luther King and other superiors of Birmingham economic community engaged with the execution of the march (Sanders, 2007). In his 8 days of imprisonment, Martin Luther King wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. The letter was addressed to the ‘clergymen’ of Birmingham which was promptly published by the then most renowned newspapers and magazines being smuggled out of the jail (Flora & Et. Al., 2002). The letter demonstrated the segregated life of black citizens in Birmingham highlighting the differences enacted by the white ministers in the daily life of the nation. It apparently focused on the issue indicating what the ‘whites’ had achieved and what the ‘blacks’ did not. In its core substance the letter indicated to both, the ministry of Birmingham and the Christian as well as the Jewish community of the state. This can be well identified from the statements of Martin Luther King in his letter, “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” and “I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers” (King, 1963). To his verdict of breaking the laws enforced by the then ministry of Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. provided with a brief and subtle explanation that was again targeted towards the racial discrimination between whites and blacks or ‘Negroes’. He stated that his main motive was not to be against the laws enforced by the government, but disagree with the ‘unjust’ laws which were not in the favor of human personality. In the words of King (1963), “………at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws…there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws……Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong”. His argument regarding his act of breaking the laws which was categorized by him as ‘unjust’ was influenced by the philosophy of various other personalities. A strong influence of Socrates can be observed in the letter written by Martin Luther King. In his ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’, he writes “To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience. In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience”. Along with Socrates, the philosophy of Martin Luther King was also influenced by the thoughts and deeds of Reinhold Niebuhr, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Buber, Paul Tillich, Amos, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, Governor Barnett, Thomas Jefferson, and many other ‘extremists’ as had been illustrated in the letter (King, 1963). A supreme blend of both, politics and religion can be witnessed in the letter based on the context of ethnicity and racial equality or justice. In his letter, Martin Luther King initially argued on the basis of conservatism supported by the then government of Birmingham. He argued against various racial discrimination practices executed in the state that restricted the growth of ‘Negroes’ in the nation. The deprivation of blacks in the ‘unjust’ white ministry of Birmingham has been strictly opposed in his arguments stating various facts regarding the contemptible condition of the blacks and the conservatism rules enforced by the then government in the state. This can be apparently witnessed from his statement “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts…………..” (King, 1963). In the next phase of the letter Martin Luther King Jr. argued on the context of independence of America highlighting the moment of the Declaration of Independence in America by Jefferson. In his words “Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here”. Here ‘we’ refers to the black community. From this statement it is quite apparent that Martin Luther King Jr. intended to draw attention of the readers to the significance and heritage of black community in the nation. Alongside the above statement, he also intended to signify the historic agony of the ‘Negro’ community in the nation although the community has been recognized as a prime inhabitant of the region from long before the invasion by white pilgrims (King, 1963). One similarity can be evidently observed from the discussion of the two phases in the letter by Martin Luther King Jr., i.e. in both the instances he indicates towards the conservatism practices of the white community against the ‘colored people’ of Birmingham. Relating the ongoing situation of the 1960s with that of the past, when the freedom of America was declared, Martin Luther King Jr. intended to underline the deprivation of one community (the blacks) and bias liberalization of the other (the whites) which was actually an ‘outsider’ to Birmingham. Along with history, politics, and sociology, Martin Luther King Jr. also emphasized on the aspect of religion to support his argument of liberalization in the state of Birmingham. He argued that Christianity has also supported the fact of liberalization for all racial communities in due time periods. He further stated the role played by the religion in augmenting the movement of civil rights in the country. On the contrary, he also argued the misconception of the religious leaders regarding liberalization that in turn supported conservatism in the nation and in America at large. In his statements in the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized on the statements from churches on the ‘brotherhood’ of all the communities and on the other hand he reflected the discrimination of the black community in the churches of Birmingham by noting it as the ‘Negro Churches’. In his words, “I am grateful to God that, through the influence of the Negro church, the way of nonviolence became an integral part of our struggle” (King, 1963). This indicates a strong influence of Christianity in the civil rights movement not only in Birmingham but also in other states of the US. Conclusively, it can be stated that the letter was certainly a milestone for the civil rights movement in the continent that led to the liberalization of black community in the country. References BBC, (2011). Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968). History. Retrieved Online on July 1, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/king_martin_luther.shtml Connerly, C. E., (2005). "The Most Segregated City In America": City Planning And Civil Rights In Birmingham, 1920-1980. University of Virginia Press. Flora, J. M. & Et. Al., (2002). The Companion to Southern Literature: Themes, Genres, Places, People, Movements, and Motifs. LSU Press. King, M. L. Jr., (1963). Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]. University Of Pennsylvania. Leiman, M., (2010). The Political Economy of Racism. Haymarket Books. Ross, S., (1963). March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Wesleyan University. Sanders, J., (2007). Liberation Cries from Behind Bars Imprisonment and the Civil Rights Movement. Americana, pp. 49-59. Williams, Y. R. & Lazerow, J., (2008). Liberated Territory: Untold Local Perspectives On The Black Panther Party. Duke University Press. Read More