Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Why was I arrested in Birmingham? Dr. Martin Luther King wrote this letter after being arrested and during his imprisonment in a Birmingham Jail for participating in a peaceful march without a city permit. This letter was created because of eight white religious leaders of the south expressing their concerns and cautions for his method of a nonviolent expression of inequality. The march was brought to light unfair racial practices against Negros. Since the founding of America, slavery has existed with slow improvements over time. The major improvements have been accomplished by peaceful public demonstrations rather than violent exercises. Dr. King believed in a peaceful approach to changing the minds of community leader’s was smarter than a violent physical exhibition that resulted in death, injury, and increased hatred and resentment between all parties. He had learned and experienced that meeting with community leaders to discuss and resolve problems resulting in
promises for the future that never materialized. Dr. King discovered that peaceful marches or demonstrations interrupt normal commerce destroying business profits while attracting local and national attention. This type of action affected the economics of the white owner’s enterprises and the local economy, which was the best attention and performance for the bureaucrats. The contents of his letter are very detailed in bringing out various specific points to the entire racial problem, specifically in America while in other parts of the world advancements have been made sooner. Dr. King was great at bringing out history of incidents and the results thereof by using famous men of the world as well the biblical prophets fighting causes against Christians.
The principal idea of Dr. King’s letter was to bring out historical beginnings of slavery and how people were punished and treated such as beatings, hangings, verbal abuse, and etc. Religious leaders’ non-involvement in publicly renouncing such behavior and demanding honorable equality for the Negro was a major factor in the continued poor behavior of whites. Dr. King explained why he was in Birmingham based on his position as President of the Southern Leadership Conference and associations with their connecting chapters. He was committed to representing and reach out to all concerned, not only in the Southern Conference but throughout America. Dr. King begins with the eight century prophets and their methods of preaching and teaching the Gospel and moving on to discuss demonstrations and their root causes. His past conferences with public leaders resulted in creating and using four basic steps to determine where injustices are active. Dr. King pinpointed other historical people such as Socrates, Niebuhr, and Hitler and their “movement speeches” changed the world, meaning changed people’s minds without violence mastered the masses. Additionally, biblical people were highlighted by the results of their determinations. Dr. King on August 16, 1963 responded to his critics for his peaceful demonstration arrest because of the unfair treatment toward the Negro race by white society. He defends himself for using non-violent actions rather than violence to banish unfair laws and justice to stimulate peoples thinking that all men are created equal according to God and should be treated accordingly. Dr. King defends himself from the standpoint of outsiders coming in and becoming involved in racial situations in order to defend the white-man’s conduct. At this time Dr. King is President of the Southern Leadership Conference, which includes all Southern States and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. King came to Birmingham, specifically to lead and represent his people in a peaceful march against racial inequality. After his arrest and incarceration, he had the time to very explicitly respond to the criticism of the eight clergymen concerning King’s peaceful actions of demonstrating. Dr. King was very pointed in his convictions of his self-defense methods of achieving success by peaceful demonstrations in improving racial inequality in America. Dr. King used the eighty–century prophets as a comparison that they also had to leave the comforts of their village and travel to other areas to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul of Tarsus traveled to every corner of the Greco-Roman world to represent Jesus Christ. Dr. King was determined that he would take the “Gospel of Freedom” throughout America.
The police, the court systems, employers, government agencies, government programs, public buses, bathrooms, schools, universities, theaters and other society events including public affairs and celebrations have always treated Negros unjustly.
While the 1954 Supreme court decision outlining segregation in public schools improved because of the “Law’ and not because of “moral” acceptance. Dr. King is specific in describing two types of laws: the just laws, and unjust laws. Dr. King referred to St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all”. He connected just laws to moral law or the law of God. He described an unjust law as a man-made code that does not kinship or is out of harmony with the moral law rooted in eternal or natural law. King makes the difference clear by describing an unjust law as not binding on the majority of people or itself. The majority follows a just law and minority as well, equal and distributed
equally. Dr. King expressed his disappointment of the white church leadership with noted few exceptions of several white church leaders inviting Negros into their churches for services. Many Christian leaders have advocated to their parishioners to comply with the law of desegregation, but few have required the decree to be the primary function from the hearts of people. King states that the law is morally right and the Negro is your brother. In the midst of injustices against the Negro, white church leaders have stood on the sidelines and merely commented with no actions of prevention. Church leaders have stated the racial problem is a social issue rather than a moral issue. King brings to attention the early church was powerful and early Christians suffered and died for their principles. When Christians entered a town the town power people attempted to convict them as “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators”. The Christians have the conviction of being a “colony of heaven “to obey God rather than man. The Christians were “God intoxicated to be astronomically intimidated”. Over time churches have become weak and ineffectual with uncertain voices. In many cases, they are supported by the statues-que. If Christians and church leaders do not change, the judgement of God will fall upon them. The church of today must recapture the sacrificial spirits of the early church or it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions and be dismissed as a social club with no Christians meaning.

The people and society of America place great emphasis on racial inequality. Many citizens are proud of the accomplishments of the Negro race in America in all areas such as jobs, promotions to senior officer positions, formal education from major Universities and trade schools to inter-race marriages and other matters. There still exist conflicts and prejudices by all parts of civilization, but I believe the majority of negative attitudes will disappear as our societies become more commingled over the next twenty-five years. America today will be radically changed from every point of view including racial problems.
Dr. King was and has been a major inspiration for all people around the world as related to improving race equality without violence but with communication in a peaceful and understanding environment.