A Call Unity

In 16 April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to his fellow Clergymen in Alabama titled “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” This letter was in response to his Civil rights movement that was being carried out in Birmingham Alabama. On 12 April 1963, eight Clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter that was published in a Birmingham newspaper calling for the local issues on racial injustice to be handled through the courts, as opposed to them being handled through outsiders. In this letter, the Clergymen pointed out that the timing of these non-violent demonstrations were “unwise and untimely.” The city of Birmingham had just concluded with their local elections, where the newly elected officials did not have proper time to look into the issues at hand. The Clergymen believed that with the help of the citizens of the metropolitan area, which included the Negro, and white community, the issues would be able to be resolved peacefully. Martin Luther King Jr. responded in a letter that was given to his lawyer to be brought back to his movement headquarters. In the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. responded to the article published in the Birmingham News by stating that he is serving as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that has over eighty five affiliated organizations across the South. In that statement, we were able to see some of the uses of Ethos. Mr. King used his title as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to show us that he holds a position of respect, authority and credibility. In his letter, Mr. King also gives us a very vivid painting of how desperate the local situation is by using Pathos to paint a picture. He states, “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.” (Jr., 1963) “Its ugly record of brutality is widely known.” (Jr., 1963) “There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation.” (Jr.,