3-21 Journal: Letter From Birmingham Jail

The Letter From Birmingham Jail was MLK’s way of refuting all doubts of the civil rights movement. King was in Birmingham to address the cities imbued racism by organizing nonviolent protests. He was there to make changes in this community, “certain promises were made by the merchants, for instance, removing the racist decor from their storefronts.” Colored people of Birmingham were not surprised to see that the promises were hollow. He acknowledges his disappointment by addressing “white moderacy,” supporters of civil rights who are against direct-action methods. Direct-action and nonviolent protests serve to bring the underlying tension to the forefront. When the tension is blazingly hot and in their faces, it is impossible to ignore. An important argument was made regarding time and how it is historically neutral. “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability,” King says. It was up to courageous men and women to combat injustice, to break unjust laws, and to demand freedom from their oppressors. King mentions that just laws are ones which uplift human personality, while unjust laws should be broken. “I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all,’” says King. It is one's moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. King illustrates this by mentioning he was arrested for “parading without a permit.” He argues that he would respect any city ordinance which required permits for protesting. But, “it [the ordinance] is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.” King was labelled as an “extremist” by his colleagues. He says, after supplying examples of how Jesus, Amos, Paul (Christianity), Martin Luther, John Bunyan, and Abraham Lincoln were “extremists” in some way, “so the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?” This heartfelt letter from King was his great dissertation, a respectful scream for freedom and relief from centuries of oppression.

Comments

  1. Sean DoranMarch 21, 2019 at 4:28 PM

    I completely agree with what Mason is saying about the Letter From Birmingham Jail. Like Mason said, King was there to make changes. He came to Birmingham to make these changes because Birmingham was the most segregated place in the South. King explains, "But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here"(pg 86). King is compelled to go to Birmingham because he feels "compelled to carry the gospel of freedom" beyond where he is from. Another point I like that Mason brought up is when he said that "nonviolent protests serve to bring underlying tension to the forefront". That is a great point because that is what King's plan was all along. King says, "The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation" (pg 90). These protests will force leaders to pass laws so they do not have to deal with these problematic situations anymore. Mason also brings up a very difficult concept to grasp. He brings up the difference King makes between just and unjust laws. We understand what an unjust law is. A law that makes one race inferior to another race. What King defines as a "just" law is hard to unpack. I think the way we described it in class is a great way to put it. A just law is a law that is not just equal for everyone but everyone also has the same equity in that law. Basically, do not give everyone the same amount but give everyone the amount they need so everyone is equal. I think Mason does a good job of bringing into light the most important points of King's letter. One point I think he missed is when King talks about the church. King tells us that, besides a few, the churches were not with him. Which is surprising because he thought the church would be one of his biggest allies because they would do what was morally right. This part of the letter really struck me because the church preaches what is in the Bible but would not act on it. The church and the Emancipation Proclamation are related in this sense because as Lyndon B. Johnson said, "Emancipation was a proclamation but not a fact."

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