First and foremost, President Lincoln during September 22, 1862
First and foremost, President Lincoln during September 22, 1862
When the fifty-six members of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration Of Independence in 1776 they never could have imagined the many revolutionary trials and challenges that the document’s significance of equality would ensue in years to come. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which allowed all those enslaved in Confederate territory to be forever free. The proclamation became a turning point in the aspirations of the African American race. The end of the Civil War in 1865 effectively ended slavery but did not openly give way for African Americans to have equal rights. The continuous struggle and persistence of the African American people lead to Jim Crow Laws that made them into second-class citizens. These laws dug deep holes for legal segregation between the races of black and white. To counter these laws the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed to increase racial equality and challenge such issues formed by segregation. One of the main leaders in this Civil Rights Movement of the N.A.A.C.P. was Martin Luther King Jr. He was able to prove to the African American people that he was committed to the dream of equality by not only continuing the fight after facing adversity when his house was fire-bombed, but by also speaking his mind to the eight clergy men that wrote about his actions in “A Call For Unity.” King’s “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” was written while he was incarcerated and came to be one of the biggest turning points for the African American struggle for racial equality. By systematically rebutting the assertions made by the clergymen, King was able to portray his personal views and suffrage-based opinions on segregation so that they could realize the injustice being inflicted on the African American people and choose their position toward justice or continued injustice.…
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written by Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963. It is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro-black American organization. They criticized King about him and his organization’s non-violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written as a response to the clergymen that opposed the way in which King was protesting. Martin Luther King’s letter actually addresses two audiences simultaneously: the limited and defined group of clergymen and a broader and less defined group of intelligent and religious white moderates. In the letter, King seeks to prove that he is a patient, peaceful, and just a leader of a rational movement, thus refuting his clergymen attackers claims he is an untimely, radical lawbreaker. He addresses these claims through his effective use of pathos, logos, and egos. What King said in his letter had to make a person think that not all laws are good for the group in society and morality is a justifiable excuse in breaking the law. In this paper, I will talk about Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” I…
The use of comparison in Dr. King’s letter makes the African American’s trouble of segregation seems, just about holy. He compares being arrested for his peaceful but illegal actions to the crucifixion of Jesus for his “unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion.” Martin Luther King, Jr. ties himself to God by suggesting that above constitutional rights and legal laws are God-given rights, and these rights are the ones that he and his followers are supporting. He says that just laws, are laws that “Square with moral law or the law of God.” King resumes this religious association in his last paragraph, where he mentions blacks who conduct sit-ins as “children of God” who stand up for “the most scare Values in our Judeo-Christian heritage.” These similarities make Dr. King and his men seem to be fighting an almost heavenly cause, one that has the support of God and of history.…
One of the most famous documents in American writing is the 1963 letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his jail cell in Birmingham. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written in response to eight clergymen who had condemned his recent anti-segregation protests calling them “unwise and untimely” (1). Shortly before this time, slavery and segregation had been abolished. However, these laws were not enforced; African Americans were not not treated as equals, and nothing was being done to stop the inequality. King led movements to bring attention to the fact that these laws were not being implemented. Even though King led peaceful and legal protests, he was still arrested and thrown in jail for his actions. King’s letter had two objectives: to explain the anti-segregation movement and to defend the nonviolent actions which were the cause of his imprisonment. King watched as his letter began to fulfill its purpose; support for the African-American Movement began to grow .…
Two of the most prestigious and respected leaders of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, are notable for their great speeches and written works because they not only instilled patriotism in the American audiences, but unity, hope, and history as well. Examples of these skills are clearly found in Jefferson's Declaration of Independence and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMMzY1KJVeo], for each of these documents is a solid, memorable piece in style and historical support.…
Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most well known documents in American history. King’s profound ability to articulate important ideas, values, concepts and Biblical perspectives made for some of the most powerful and inspirational pieces of American literature ever produced. One technique that King used in his public speeches and letters was his allusions to historical figures, the Bible and opposing congressmen. During the 60’s when cultural prejudice still held strong roots in Congress, it was King’s talent to inspire the public that revolutionized America’s racial injustices. King’s frequent use of allusions in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail proved his intelligence and greatly attributed to his success and popularity during the 1960’s. His allusions demonstrated his referential capabilities while also making his messages readily relatable to the public.…
Ever since the establishment of America, great men have instilled wisdom to the future generations. Over the course of various time periods, different men of all backgrounds have come out to speak against the evils and injustices in society. Among these men include Martin Luther King, Jr., a Civil Rights Leader in the 1950s; John Fitzgerald Kennedy, president of the United States during the Cold War; and Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States during the Civil War. All three men have written scores of speeches concentrating on human equality and the rights of individuals. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Abraham Lincoln suggest that mankind should live in unity because the cooperation between peoples will help a nation stand strong.…
King. The discontent from the African Americans was to be channeled in changing segregation laws in a non-violent form. He used past presidents, presidents that society looked up too, in order to help him make his point that men and women, no matter what race or ethnicity, were all created equally and it was time for the white Americans to rise up and accept this. I found his letter to be very powerful in that he made it known to the people that we was disappointed with white church and its leadership in that Christians once stood up to their beliefs and yet they were faulting African Americans in their quest to accomplish the same thing. He was trying not to be a negative critic because they can always find something wrong, but he criticized it as an individual that loves the church and that he hoped they would understand and comply with desegregation because it was the law. I found it interesting when the church came back saying it was a social issue with which the gospel has no concern. The ultimate goal was freedom in Birmingham and in other parts of the nation because the goal of America was freedom and that they would eventually win because they had God on their side. It wasn’t up to the church, the community, or the federal courts to forgive him, it was up to…
The First Amendment is all about your rights and how these are used in the world today. The "clear and present danger" test is a basic principle for deciding the limits of free speech. It was set by the famous Schenck v. the United States case from World War I. Anti War activist Charles Schenck was arrested for sending leaflets to prospective army draftees encouraging them to ignore their draft notices. The United States claimed that Schenck threatened national security, and the justices agreed. The principle was established that free speech would not be protected if an individual were a "clear and present danger" to United States security.…
Martin Luther King was a well-known American Baptist minister and activist of the 20th century. In 1963, King was captured and imprisoned for demonstrating without permit in Birmingham. In the jail cell, he wrote the “Letter from Birmingham”, which would later become one of the most influential pieces of writing, to send a message not only to the eight clergymen but also the Americans about the cruel reality of segregation. In the letter, King used many biblical references, historical references, and his own logic to make a persuasive argument against the criticisms from the clergymen as well as the society favoring segregation.…
In order to deliver a powerful speech that would move masses of people as it was his purpose, Martin Luther King performed an excellent research on the bible, the U.S constitution and The Gettysburg Address. Basing his speech on these documents allowed him to appeal to the basis by which the country of the United States was founded upon and by which society established social norms. In this way he was able to appeal to their moral, logical and emotional senses. The use of biblical…
The topic of freedom is distinguished throughout of Dr. King’s speech. In it, he states “ I have a dream that one day in Alabama … one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” (lines 109…
Martin Luther King Jr.’s goal in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is to convince the people of Birmingham that they should support civil disobedience and the eventual end to the segregation laws in Birmingham. . He approaches his argument with logic and appealing to the people of Birmingham’s emotions. He seeks to make them see the logic behind their protesting and make them feel ashamed and embarrassed by the way that they have been treating the African Americans. He proves his authority through his explanation of his experience “as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia” (King 232), and he emphasizes the importance of addressing the situation to him when he says, “seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas”, referring to the people of Birmingham’s resistance to the civil protests that he has been leading in Birmingham (King…
The pressure of racial segregation was reaching a boiling point in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. After being arrested for his part in the Birmingham Campaign, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter in response to “A Call for Unity”, written by eight white clergymen from Birmingham. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a true call for unity, as he clearly states and points out facts that the clergymen have omitted from their letter. King is clearly not looking to stoke the fire of segregation; he was merely looking to solve the situation at hand and trying to peacefully end racial segregation in the United States. “A Call for Unity”, written in early April 1963 (Jonathan, 12-18).…
The Pledge of Allegiance was written to fit any person in any country but the in 1945 the U.S. adopted it and changed it twice to fit our country but it wasn’t used in the morning to start the day for fifty-five years. In 2004 a student named Michael Newdow argued that “under God” challenged the right to freedom of religion and violated the prohibition on the establishment of religion in the First Amendment of the United States…