Can’t wait any longer (supports with list of But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. This amazing and thought-provoking piece should be read in its entirety and offers up the thesis that all people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws. To preserve the evil system of segregation. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. All papers are for research and reference purposes only! Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. There will be the old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two-year-old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: “My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest.” There will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience’ sake. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King displays his argumentative acumen and presents himself not only as an erudite person but also a credible one through the proper word choice, didactic examples and reference to history which he puts across in elegance and flair of a prolific writer. Their witness has been the spiritual salt that has preserved the true meaning of the gospel in these troubled times. laws = don’t apply to everyone; just laws = apply to everyone; thus, He has A few signs, briefly removed, returned; the others remained. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided to undertake a process of self-purification. King’s thesis: Reasonable refutation of the white clergymen’s criticism of his direct action-nonviolent resistance campaign as “unwise and untimely.” II. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. But is this a logical assertion? Let me give another explanation. Web. King If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. 1.            leaders refusing them. b.      Oppressed I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. Direct There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. through recognition and praise of those whites who have helped his cause. We post this letter today to honor Dr. King and promote the thesis that all people MUST act in the face of injustice. Yes, they have gone to jail with us. 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. One may well ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. MegaEssays.com, (December 31, 1969). whites completely). Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. They have languished in filthy, roach-infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as “dirty nigger-lovers.” Unlike so many of their moderate brothers and sisters, they have recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful “action” antidotes to combat the disease of segregation. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent–and often even vocal–sanction of things as they are. His spiritual leader ethos and not just a learned person become … But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. organizational ties in Birmingham, 3. I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. a.       Refutes In the "Letter From Birmingham Jail" King writes of all the terrible things that the whites have done to the Negroes. Refutes I have heard numerous southern religious leaders admonish their worshipers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers declare: “Follow this decree because integration is morally right and because the Negro is your brother.” In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather “nonviolently” in public. idea that he is hypocritically supporting some laws (Supreme Court First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. succeed even without the church. Then it occurred to us that Birmingham’s mayoralty election was coming up in March, and we speedily decided to postpone action until after election day. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. Let us consider a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. Isn’t this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. Can any law enacted under such circumstances be considered democratically structured? I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. Direct action campaign is the only Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. The thesis gives good reason for the Negroes desire to have equal rights. I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the “do-nothingism” of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. Some have asked: “Why didn’t you give the new city administration time to act?” The only answer that I can give to this query is that the new Birmingham administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one, before it will act. Knowing that a strong economic-withdrawal program would be the by-product of direct action, we felt that this would be the best time to bring pressure to bear on the merchants for the needed change. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. He also talks about how tough it is on children to learn the discriminations blacks go through:             Isn’t this like condemning Jesus because his unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to God’s will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? A stance that many in our world would like to ignore in the face of their own safety and contentment.

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