thesis statement of letter from birmingham jail

A Summary and Analysis of Martin Luther King’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ is Martin Luther King’s most famous written text, and rivals his most celebrated speech, ‘ I Have a Dream ’, for its political importance and rhetorical power.

King wrote this open letter in April 1963 while he was imprisoned in the city jail in Birmingham, Alabama. When he read a statement issued in the newspaper by eight of his fellow clergymen, King began to compose his response, initially writing it in the margins of the newspaper article itself.

In ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’, King answers some of the criticisms he had received from the clergymen in their statement, and makes the case for nonviolent action to bring about an end to racial segregation in the South. You can read the letter in full here if you would like to read King’s words before reading on to our summary of his argument, and analysis of the letter’s meaning and significance.

‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’: summary

The letter is dated 16 April 1963. King begins by addressing his ‘fellow clergymen’ who wrote the statement published in the newspaper. In this statement, they had criticised King’s political activities ‘unwise and untimely’. King announces that he will respond to their criticisms because he believes they are ‘men of genuine good will’.

King outlines why he is in Birmingham: as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he was invited by an affiliate group in Birmingham to engage in a non-violent direct-action program: he accepted. When the time came, he honoured his promise and came to Birmingham to support the action.

But there is a bigger reason for his travelling to Birmingham: because injustice is found there, and, in a famous line, King asserts: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ The kind of direction action King and others have engaged in around Birmingham is a last resort because negotiations have broken down and promises have been broken.

When there is no alternative, direct action – such as sit-ins and marches – can create what King calls a ‘tension’ which will mean that a community which previously refused to negotiate will be forced to come to the negotiating table. King likens this to the ‘tension’ in the individual human mind which Socrates, the great classical philosopher, fostered through his teachings.

Next, King addresses the accusation that the action he and others are taking in Birmingham is ‘untimely’. King points out that the newly elected mayor of the city, like the previous incumbent, is in favour of racial segregation and thus wishes to preserve the political status quo so far as race is concerned. As King observes, privileged people seldom give up their privileges voluntarily: hence the need for nonviolent pressure.

King now turns to the question of law-breaking. How can he and others justify breaking the law? He quotes St. Augustine, who said that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’ A just law uplifts human personality and is consistent with the moral law and God’s law. An unjust law degrades human personality and contradicts the moral law (and God’s law). Because segregation encourages one group of people to view themselves as superior to another group, it is unjust.

He also asserts that he believes the greatest stumbling-block to progress is not the far-right white supremacist but the ‘white moderate’ who are wedded to the idea of ‘order’ in the belief that order is inherently right. King points out both in the Bible (the story of Shadrach and the fiery furnace ) and in America’s own colonial history (the Boston Tea Party ) people have practised a form of ‘civil disobedience’, breaking one set of laws because a higher law was at stake.

King addresses the objection that his actions, whilst nonviolent themselves, may encourage others to commit violence in his name. He rejects this argument, pointing out that this kind of logic (if such it can be called) can be extended to all sorts of scenarios. Do we blame a man who is robbed because his possession of wealth led the robber to steal from him?

The next criticism which King addresses is the notion that he is an extremist. He contrasts his nonviolent approach with that of other African-American movements in the US, namely the black nationalist movements which view the white man as the devil. King points out that he has tried to steer a path between extremists on either side, but he is still labelled an ‘extremist’.

He decides to own the label, and points out that Jesus could be regarded as an ‘extremist’ because, out of step with the worldview of his time, he championed love of one’s enemies.

Other religious figures, as well as American political figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, might be called ‘extremists’ for their unorthodox views (for their time). Jefferson, for example, was considered an extremist for arguing, in the opening words to the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. ‘Extremism’ doesn’t have to mean one is a violent revolutionary: it can simply denote extreme views that one holds.

King expresses his disappointment with the white church for failing to stand with him and other nonviolent activists campaigning for an end to racial segregation. People in the church have made a variety of excuses for not supporting racial integration.

The early Christian church was much more prepared to fight for what it believed to be right, but it has grown weak and complacent. Rather than being disturbers of the peace, many Christians are now upholders of the status quo.

Martin Luther King concludes his letter by arguing that he and his fellow civil rights activists will achieve their freedom, because the goal of America as a nation has always been freedom, going back to the founding of the United States almost two centuries earlier. He provides several examples of the quiet courage shown by those who had engaged in nonviolent protest in the South.

‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’: analysis

Martin Luther King’s open letter written from Birmingham Jail is one of the most famous open letters in the world. It is also a well-known defence of the notion of civil disobedience, or refusing to obey laws which are immoral or unjust, often through peaceful protest and collective action.

King answers each of the clergymen’s objections in turn, laying out his argument in calm, rational, but rhetorically brilliant prose. The emphasis throughout is non nonviolent action, or peaceful protest, which King favours rather than violent acts such as rioting (which, he points out, will alienate many Americans who might otherwise support the cause for racial integration).

In this, Martin Luther King was greatly influenced by the example of Mahatma Gandhi , who had led the Indian struggle for independence earlier in the twentieth century, advocating for nonviolent resistance to British rule in India. Another inspiration for King was Henry David Thoreau, whose 1849 essay ‘ Civil Disobedience ’ called for ordinary citizens to refuse to obey laws which they consider unjust.

This question of what is a ‘just’ law and what is an ‘unjust’ law is central to King’s defence of his political approach as laid out in the letter from Birmingham Jail. He points out that everything Hitler did in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s was ‘legal’, because the Nazis changed the laws to suit their ideology and political aims. But this does not mean that what they did was moral : quite the opposite.

Similarly, it would have been ‘illegal’ to come to the aid of a Jew in Nazi Germany, but King states that he would have done so, even though, by helping and comforting a Jewish person, he would have been breaking the law. So instead of the view that ‘law’ and ‘justice’ are synonymous, ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ is a powerful argument for obeying a higher moral law rather than manmade laws which suit those in power.

But ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ is also notable for the thoughtful and often surprising things King does with his detractors’ arguments. For instance, where we might expect him to object to being called an ‘extremist’, he embraces the label, observing that some of the most pious and peaceful figures in history have been ‘extremists’ of one kind of another. But they have called for extreme love, justice, and tolerance, rather than extreme hate, division, or violence.

Similarly, King identifies white moderates as being more dangerous to progress than white nationalists, because they believe in ‘order’ rather than ‘justice’ and thus they can sound rational and sympathetic even as they stand in the way of racial integration and civil rights. As with the ‘extremist’ label, King’s position here may take us by surprise, but he backs up his argument carefully and provides clear reasons for his stance.

There are two main frames of reference in the letter. One is Christian examples: Jesus, St. Paul, and Amos, the Old Testament prophet , are all mentioned, with King drawing parallels between their actions and those of the civil rights activists participating in direct action.

The other is examples from American history: Abraham Lincoln (who issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the American Civil War, a century before King was writing) and Thomas Jefferson (who drafted the words to the Declaration of Independence, including the statement that all men are created equal).

Both Christianity and America have personal significance for King, who was a reverend as well as a political campaigner and activist. But these frames of reference also establish a common ground between both him and the clergymen he addresses, and, more widely, with many other Americans who will read the open letter.

Discover more from Interesting Literature

Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.

Type your email…

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin luther king, jr., ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

"Letter from Birmingham Jail"

April 16, 1963

As the events of the  Birmingham Campaign  intensified on the city’s streets, Martin Luther King, Jr., composed a letter from his prison cell in Birmingham in response to local religious leaders’ criticisms of the campaign: “Never before have I written so long a letter. I’m afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?” (King,  Why , 94–95).

King’s 12 April 1963 arrest for violating Alabama’s law against mass public demonstrations took place just over a week after the campaign’s commencement. In an effort to revive the campaign, King and Ralph  Abernathy   had donned work clothes and marched from Sixth Avenue Baptist Church into a waiting police wagon. The day of his arrest, eight Birmingham clergy members wrote a criticism of the campaign that was published in the  Birmingham News , calling its direct action strategy “unwise and untimely” and appealing “to both our white and Negro citizenry to observe the principles of law and order and common sense” (“White Clergymen Urge”).

Following the initial circulation of King’s letter in Birmingham as a mimeographed copy, it was published in a variety of formats: as a pamphlet distributed by the  American Friends Service Committee  and as an article in periodicals such as  Christian Century ,  Christianity and Crisis , the  New York Post , and  Ebony  magazine. The first half of the letter was introduced into testimony before Congress by Representative William Fitts Ryan (D–NY) and published in the  Congressional Record . One year later, King revised the letter and presented it as a chapter in his 1964 memoir of the Birmingham Campaign,  Why We Can’t Wait , a book modeled after the basic themes set out in “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

In  Why We Can’t Wait , King recalled in an author’s note accompanying the letter’s republication how the letter was written. It was begun on pieces of newspaper, continued on bits of paper supplied by a black trustee, and finished on paper pads left by King’s attorneys. After countering the charge that he was an “outside agitator” in the body of the letter, King sought to explain the value of a “nonviolent campaign” and its “four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action” (King,  Why , 79). He went on to explain that the purpose of direct action was to create a crisis situation out of which negotiation could emerge.

The body of King’s letter called into question the clergy’s charge of “impatience” on the part of the African American community and of the “extreme” level of the campaign’s actions (“White Clergymen Urge”). “For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’” King wrote. “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’” (King,  Why , 83). He articulated the resentment felt “when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodiness’—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait” (King,  Why , 84). King justified the tactic of civil disobedience by stating that, just as the Bible’s Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to obey Nebuchadnezzar’s unjust laws and colonists staged the Boston Tea Party, he refused to submit to laws and injunctions that were employed to uphold segregation and deny citizens their rights to peacefully assemble and protest.

King also decried the inaction of white moderates such as the clergymen, charging that human progress “comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation” (King,  Why , 89). He prided himself as being among “extremists” such as Jesus, the prophet Amos, the apostle Paul, Martin Luther, and Abraham Lincoln, and observed that the country as a whole and the South in particular stood in need of creative men of extreme action. In closing, he hoped to meet the eight fellow clergymen who authored the first letter.

Garrow,  Bearing the Cross , 1986.

King, “A Letter from Birmingham Jail,”  Ebony  (August 1963): 23–32.

King, “From the Birmingham Jail,”  Christianity and Crisis  23 (27 May 1963): 89–91.

King, “From the Birmingham Jail,”  Christian Century  80 (12 June 1963): 767–773.

King, “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” (Philadelphia: American Friends Service Committee, May 1963).

King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” in  Why We Can’t Wait , 1964.

Reverend Martin Luther King Writes from Birmingham City Jail—Part I , 88th Cong., 1st sess.,  Congressional Record  (11 July 1963): A 4366–4368.

“White Clergymen Urge Local Negroes to Withdraw from Demonstrations,”  Birmingham News , 13 April 1963.

If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.

Course: US history   >   Unit 11

• The Declaration of Independence
• The Articles of Confederation
• The Constitution of the United States
• Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Want to join the conversation?

• Upvote Button navigates to signup page
• Downvote Button navigates to signup page
• Flag Button navigates to signup page

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Letter from Birmingham Jail Summary

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail while he was imprisoned for leading nonviolent civil rights demonstrations in Alabama in 1963. The Letter from Birmingham Jail explains why MLK believed people had a responsibility to follow just laws and a duty to break unjust ones.

PDF: Letter From Birmingham Jail

Letter from Birmingham Jail | Primary Source Essentials

• About WordPress
• Get Involved
• WordPress.org
• Documentation
• Learn WordPress

HONS 110-07

Introduction to academic writing.

The Rhetorical Situation of Letter from Birmingham Jail 

As the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s unfolded, Martin Luther King Jr. had, perhaps, the most encompassing and personal rhetorical situation to face in American history. In Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King responds to the subjectivity of law and the issue he paramounts by using precise and impactful rhetoric from inside of his jail cell. While this fight had been raging for nearly 10 years, the release in 1963 was shortly followed  by the Civil Rights Act in 1964.              

Martin Luther leading peaceful Birmingham protest, AP News

Lloyd Bitzer describes rhetorical situation as, “a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be  completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action to bring about the significant modification of the exigence” (6). In sum, all rhetoric has an external situation in which it is responding to. Analysing a rhetorical situation clarifies why a text was created, the purpose in which it was written, and why the author made specific choices while writing it. There are three main considerations to make while analysing a rhetorical situation: the constraints, the exigence, and the audience. Constraints bring light to the obstacles this rhetoric may face, whether it be social, political, economical, etc. and may encompass the audience, as seen while analysing Letter From Birmingham Jail. The audience of a rhetorical piece will shape the rhetoric the author uses in order to appeal, brazen, or educate whoever is exposed. Lastly, the exigence of a rhetorical piece is the external issue, situation, or event in which the rhetoric is responding to. All of these factors influence each other to shape rhetoric, which Bitzer describes as, “pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself” (3), with Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail being a shining example. 

In Letter From Birmingham Jail, the exigence is the continued condemnation, segregation, and prejudice afflicted against African Americans since the emancipation of the slaves in 1863. However, the racial divide was legislated in 1877 with the implementation of Jim Crow laws, which lasted until 1950. While the Civil Rights movement superseded the dismantling of Jim Crow, the social ideologies and lackadaisical legislature behind anti-black prejudice continued to rack the country far into the 1960’s. King was the figurehead of the Civil Rights movement, infamous for his “I Have a Dream” speech and substantially impactful rhetoric promoting social and political change, peaceful indignation, and calls to awareness. Martin Luther found himself arrested on the twelfth of April 1963 after leading a peaceful protest throughout Birmingham, Alabama “after he defied a state court’s injunction and led a march of black protesters without a permit, urging an Easter boycott of white-owned stores” (Jr., Martin Luther King). The eight clergymen in Birmingham released a public statement of caution regarding the protesters actions as “unwise and untimely” (King 1), to which Martin’s letter is a direct response. This protest, his subsequent arrest, and the clergymen’s public statement ostensibly make up the rhetorical exigence, but it truly stems from a much larger and dangerous situation at hand: the overwhelming state of anti-black prejudice spread socially, systematically, and legislatively in America since the country’s implementation of slavery in Jamestown, 1619. This exigence is rhetorical because it can be improved if enough people are socially cognizant, whether that be in legislature or the streets of Birmingham, through creation and enforcement of equitable laws and social attitudes. These circumstances lead us to our next rhetorical focus: audience. Who was he truly writing for?

The audience of Letter From Birmingham Jail was initially the eight clergymen of Birmingham, all white and in positions of religious leadership. However, in the months that followed, King’s powerful words were distributed to the public through civil right’s committees, the press, and was even read in testimony before Congress (‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’), taking the country by storm. While his letter was only addressed to the clergymen, it is safe to assume that King had intent on the public eventually reading his letter, considering his position within the Civil Rights movement, use of persuasive rhetorical language, and hard-hitting debates on the justification of law. With this addressed, his audience was truly the population of the United States, especially Birmingham, with a focus on those who withheld and complied with the oppression of African American citizens, even if not intentionally. This audience is rhetorical as the social and political ideologies of the American people fuel democracy and are able to change the system around them through collective effort. His writing is respectful and educated, if not naturally, to invalidate the use of his race against him by the largely prejudiced audience. It’s important to note that his initial readers/supporters greatly impacted the scope of his audience, spreading the letter through handouts, flyers, and press, in the hopes that others would be impacted for the better by the weight of the exigence at hand. His audience ranged between those who his message empowered, a radical positive force, and those who disagreed, made up of southern states, extremist groups, and the majority of American citizens stuck in their racial prejudices. Despite his support, Martin Luther’s audience is one of the largest constraints in his rhetorical situation. 

The constraints surrounding Martin Luther King’s rhetorical situation include the audience, the rhetorical exigence of the situation he is responding to, Dr. King himself, and the medium, all of which are deeply connected. Firstly, and most daunting, is the constraint of the letter’s audience. Initially, the eight Birmingham clergymen are the audience and while they were not overtly racist, King uses rhetoric meant to have them understand his urgency. As mentioned before, the social and political ideologies in America surrounding racial equity at this time, specifically in Birmingham, were extremely poor. While his supporters nation-wide were avid, determined, and hopeful, they were challenged by the opposing, vastly white population, comfortable in their segregated establishments and racist ideologies who would certainly weaponize his viewpoints. Not only was this a social division, but those who opposed King were reinforced by the respective legislature that sought to burden him. Despite his opposition, however, the letter is truly addressed to those who were not against King, but did not understand the urgency of his movement. The letter goes on to explain his choice to act directly and nonviolently, stating, “For years now I have heard the word ‘wait.’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This ‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never’ (King 2). King chose to write this for a reason; to resonate with those who were not his enemies but who held back the movement through compliance. It was important for King to address this audience as their support would ultimately make the largest difference in the movement. The biases of the audience go hand in hand with the rhetorical exigence of this letter, another large constraint in the effectiveness of his message. The continuous mistreatment of African Americans for over a century was, at last, deeply questioned and challenged nationwide with the growing popularity of the Civil Rights movement, and the topic of equality for all had divided the country. All of this accumulates into an unwavering social constraint placed on Martin Luther King’s rhetorical text. To minimize the possibility of being deemed invalid due to his race, he must choose what he states and how he states it very precisely which correlates to the constraints Martin Luther himself has on his rhetorical situation. 

As a black man and pacifist-forward figurehead of the Civil Rights movement, the way Martin Luther is perceived is mostly dictated by preconceived biases and is rampant, widespread, and polarized. 

                 Martin Luther in Birmingham Jail, The Atlantic

Furthermore, exterior events regarding the movement could ultimately reflect on his influence and polarize the audience further. Greater importance is placed on his tone, choice of words, choice of argument, and credibility, for better or for worse, and he must carefully make rhetorical decisions, not only because of his race. At this time, he is representative of the Black American population and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole– he is Martin Luther King Jr., and while this is a powerful position to occupy, the constraints imposed are just as dominant. Ultimately, he effectively tackles societal constraints, whether it be audience bias, historical racism, or how he is viewed by using the power of his rhetoric to his advantage. King spins the constraining pressure to properly represent the movement on its head, using his rhetoric to uplift the underprivileged and leave no room in his language for criticism, proven by the continuous adoption of his messages by the public. 

Lastly, King is constrained by his medium. A letter, as a medium, is constraining as there is one definitive original copy, it is addressed to a small specific group, and since it cannot be directly broadcasted widely, opposed to television or radio, it must be printed or passed along analogically. Whether this be by newspaper, flyers, or restated by another in speech, the spread of information is slower and potentially more controllable. The letter was written April third, 1963, it was published for the public in June of the same year, a slower spread than a nationwide address on television or radio. Additionally, personable elements such as tone, inflection, and overall vindication behind the letter are left to be determined by the rhetorical language. There may have been advantages to broadcasting this message similarly to his “I Have a Dream” speech, which touched America deeply, due potentially to the accessible, instantaneous, and widespread coverage in American media. He was able to further interact with the audience; they were able to hear his voice, listen to the intended tone behind his words, see his face, and study his demeanor in the face of adversary. However, this constraint did not ultimately halt the spread of King’s message nation-wide, as it became a persuasive landmark of the civil rights movement, likely due to both his impactful position and persuasive use of rhetoric. 

To truly understand the effectiveness of this letter, one must rhetorically analyse the contents. Martin Luther utilizes powerful rhetoric to define his exigence. He begins strongly by explaining why he is in Birmingham in the first place, stating, “So I am here…because we were invited here. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here” (King 1), after describing his involvement in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as president. He goes on to add; “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” (King 1). At the time, Birmingham was one of the harshest places to live in America for African Americans; white supremacy groups would set off bombs to instill fear in the black community and withhold racial integration, and peaceful protests and sit-ins were met with unjustifiable police violence, in addition to the suffocating social qualms surrounding the black community (Eskew). Consequently, Birmingham became the core of the Civil Rights movement, pumping the life-blood of social change into the rest of the country. Being nearly symbolic, King being held prisoner in Birmingham, the most polar racial arena of the United States, made his rhetoric more effective. It elucidated the exigence behind his letter as his presented rationale behind his arrest only made unjust laws appear more asinine and questionable by relation. Martin Luther King then goes on to make an analogy to the Bible, portraying Apostle Paul’s proliferation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in parallel to his own efforts, stating, “I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown” (1). These encompass his exigence, at its most simple and precise, and validify the importance behind transforming the country in a positive way. 

The rhetorical choices referenced above are riddled with pathos, also known as language utilized to persuade the audience emotionally. Not only does he use pathos to humanize himself, but he also uses it to humanize his immediate audience, the eight clergymen. He opens with an explanation to his response, stating, “Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas…But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms”(King 1). By addressing his respect for the clergymen, feigned or not, he is acknowledging the effectiveness of respect to those in power, whether they may or may not deserve it. King’s decision to compare his efforts to those of biblical figures with shared intent was a deliberate attempt to find common ground with his initial readers, the eight religious Birmingham clergymen, through the faith of a shared religion. His mention of involvement and leadership within a Christian civil rights organization, strength of religious analogy, and general politeness are effective rhetorical choices used to shape how he is perceived despite his critical response, racial setbacks, and arrest: a relatable man of faith, rationale, and initiative. 

Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail is undeniably effective at responding to the rhetorical situation at hand. While there were consistent and impactful efforts made by various groups for equality throughout the civil rights era, the proximity between the public release of the letter, found nation-wide by late 1963, and the passing of the Civil Rights Act in early July 1964 shows the direct impact the letter had on social attitudes following its publicization. The law was written in 1962, but the powerful response pushed the courts to finalize their decision. This period of quiet speculation over the law illuminates the national divide in opinion over the matter, one which King helped persuade positively. To summarize, Martin Luther King’s rhetoric is effective and ultimately changed the course of the Civil Rights movement for the better.                 

Works Cited

Bitzer, Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation.” Philosophy & Rhetoric , vol. 1, no. 1, Penn State University Press, 1968, pp. 1–14, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40236733 .

Glenn Eskew, “Bombingham: Black Protest in Postwar Birmingham, Alabama”, 1997

Jr., Martin Luther King. “Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’.” The Atlantic , Atlantic Media Company, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/letter-from-a-birmingham-jail/552461/. 

“‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’” The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute , 29 May 2019, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail. 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Essay about “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr

This essay will provide a comprehensive analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It will dissect the letter’s argumentative structure, its historical context, and the moral and ethical appeals made by King. The piece will explore the letter’s significance in the civil rights movement and its relevance to contemporary social justice issues. PapersOwl offers a variety of free essay examples on the topic of Christianity.

How it works

Martin Luther King Jr., in “ Letter From A Birmingham Jail”(1963), responds to the eight white clergymen who criticized King’s actions in Birmingham as “unwise and untimely”. King was born on January of 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. King grew up in Atlanta, he attended Booker T. Washington High School . King in 1948, graduated at the age of 19 from Morehouse with a B.

A. in sociology. King had later enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with a B.Div. degree in 1951. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. This conference started to conduct nonviolent protests to gain civil rights to minorities. King lead this organization until his death, he lead marches, and gave speeches. King was also part of the community that looked into the Montgomery bus boycott case in 1955. In 1963 of April King, began a campaign on the segregation happening in Birmingham, Alabama. They used the methods of peaceful protesting. In 1954, King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. A strong worker for civil rights for members of his race, King was a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Not only that but King made speeches such as “ I Have A Dream”, which called for equality and peace. Another role he played in the Civil Rights Movement was part of the Montgomery Bus Boycott where King was the leader and spokesman. The biggest and most important association of them all. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, King appeals to the heart and minds of the clergymen by alluding to the moral authority of christian traditions, American Ideals, and the collective suffering of African Americans.

Martin Luther King compares his actions in Birmingham to important religious authorities and christian beliefs in order to show that the religious authorities have done what King is doing in the past,but have not had the same consequences as King. He believes that he should not be thrown in jail because religious authorities like Apostle Paul have also fought for equality using religion and christian beliefs. Apostle Paul was an Apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the first- century world.Apostle Paul and King both had the same beliefs and both fought for christian religion and equality. King argues that if the clergymen are really religious how they claim to be, then the clergymen would understand that they made a mistake calling his actions in Birmingham jail unwise and untimely because it was fighting for civil rights. In the Letter From a Birmingham Jail, King states “I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all”. St. Augustine was an important early Christian philosopher who believed in just laws. He followed the word of Christ and spread it as much as he possibly could. King basically writes to the clergymen questioning them because they do not like what King is doing but they support these religious figures who both fought for the same thing as King, which is civil rights and equality. King fought because there was segregation occurring in the South and he believed that all humans should be treated the same. Segregation was a way to oppress the African American people . Another way that King justifies his actions in Birmingham is the way he starts off his letter. He begins with “ My Dear fellow clergymen” by doing this King puts himself to their level because King is also a believer and follower of god, Christian faith, and equality. King uses this time to remind the Clergymen of the history of injustice laws.

Not only does King compare his actions in Birmingham to religious Christian figures but he also uses the collective suffering of African Americans. King states, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed”. King brings up that African Americans had a difficult time in the U.S in the past. They had to deal with unfair treatment and unjust laws. King believes that suppressing the protest in Birmingham is unjust because all he wanted was for segregation to end and for African Americans and everyone else in the world to be treated equal. Segregation was a form of suppressing people of color and King argues that history has time and time again proven that oppression is inhumane and unjust. This belief led King to march to Birmingham to peacefully protest his rights. He also states,”Others have marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They have languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as ‘ dirty nigger lovers”. King uses this to show that segregation was so bad they even mistreated other races who tried to help the African Americans get equal rights. They were thrown in jail and also suffered consequences for no humane reason. People of color were being racially targeted due to white supremacism. King wants people to learn from the past, he wants equality for every person.

King uses American Ideals to justify his peaceful protest in Birmingham Alabama. One American Ideal that King uses is by Thomas Jefferson. King states,”And Thomas Jefferson:’We hold these truths to be self evident , that all men are created equal’. He uses this important political figure to justify his actions because Jefferson believed every person should be treated equally. King was fighting for Civil Rights, which talks about everyone being equal. King does this because he wants to bring attention to these historical moments to remind the world to learn from their mistakes. King also uses Abraham Lincoln,” And Abraham Lincoln :’This nation cannot survive half slave and half free’. King does not want to repeat history. He does not want the people of color to remained suppressed just like before in history when they were oppressed with slavery. These are important historical figures who were great leaders and had belief in equality for every human being. Lincoln fought for slaves when they were first treated as property, he knew slavery was not equality so he fought to change that just like King is fighting for equality instead of segregation. King asks the Clergymen as to why it is fine for Lincoln to fight for equality but not King.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy was “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. He believed the segregation to be unequal,the method King used to fight back against segregation was peacefully protesting. He followed in the shoes of Gandhi and Jesus Christ because all of King’s protests were peaceful on his part and it was for Civil Rights. Kings most important achievement in life was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights act allowed minorities to vote, and eliminated segregation. After the death of King there was still people fighting for Civil Rights. Today Civil Rights has expanded and improved. New movements and organizations have been formed to fight for other rights that have been denied some of these movements are Black Lives Matter movement and the L.G.B.T.Q. Both of these organizations fight for equality. King closes his epistle with a note of hope and optimism for America.

Cite this page

Essay About “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. (2021, Jul 01). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/essay-about-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr/

"Essay About “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr." PapersOwl.com , 1 Jul 2021, https://papersowl.com/examples/essay-about-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr/

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Essay About “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/essay-about-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr/ [Accessed: 27 May. 2024]

"Essay About “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr." PapersOwl.com, Jul 01, 2021. Accessed May 27, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/essay-about-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr/

"Essay About “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr," PapersOwl.com , 01-Jul-2021. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/essay-about-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr/. [Accessed: 27-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Essay About “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/essay-about-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail-by-martin-luther-king-jr/ [Accessed: 27-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

83 Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts, Topics, & Examples

Whether you’re writing an essay, thesis statement, or topic sentence for Letter from Birmingham Jail , you’ll need an excellent topic. With the original ideas prepared by our experts , you will surely find the best one for your paper.

🏆 Best Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts & Examples

📌 most interesting letter from birmingham jail essay prompts & topics, 👍 good research topics about letter from birmingham jail, ❓ letter from birmingham jail essay questions.

• “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Rhetorical Analysis Essay He supports his argument in the next paragraph, where he puts it across that they have been governed by a combination of unjust and just law whereby there is a need to separate the two.
• “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” and “I Have A Dream” by M. L. King Jr. He is of the view that almost all the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham are futile in the case of the black Americans and it is the most segregated city in the United States.
• King’s Allusion in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Through allusion to Apostle Paul, King attempted to stress that he also wanted to spread freedom. In the same manner, King believed that people could unite to combat oppression.
• Justice in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by King The main topic of the letter is the discussion of the issue of justice and injustice.Dr. In the discussion of just and unjust laws, Dr.
• The Letter From Birmingham Jail and Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inauguration Address Owing to the historic social implications these works had in America, reflecting on the connectors, disparities, and the most outstanding aspects of Lincoln’s and King’s works is imperative to understanding their unique quests for social […]
• Rhetorical Techniques in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King His flawless use of metaphors and parallelism allows the reader or the audience to empathize with King and support him in his fight against racial injustice.
• Critical Analysis of “Letter From Birmingham Jail” The author accuses these leaders of supporting the status quo by refusing to support the cause of the Americans in their attempt to have these laws changed or repealed.
• Analysis of the Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail From the biblical stand, the king was justified to move in the hope that his contributions would bring change in the destined world.
• “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. King that supports his position is that protests began after multiple attempts by the representatives of the Black community to regulate disagreements peacefully and attract White authorities’ attention to the inappropriateness of segregation. Thus, the […]
• King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail on Justice In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, a fighter for the rights of African Americans, repeats the idea of freedom and equality for US citizens.
• “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by M. L. King, Jr. In conclusion, King’s letter is an example of a work that has all the elements to be convincing and meaningful to society and its history.
• King ‘s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” Despite this fact, both King and Thoreau had a common goal to expose the unjust laws that govern a society of civil resistance to unjust laws It should be stressed that both King and Thoreau […]
• Extremism in King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Initially, he dismissed the idea that he was an extremist; however, later, he redefined that label.Dr. He further noted that true extremists were the participants of the different black nationalist groups.
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail He raises the stakes in his letter by pointing out “…the intent of our peaceful, active action is to generate a crisis-filled situation that will certainly necessitate commencement of negotiations”. King’s letter reveal a man […]
• King’s ‘The letter From Birmingham Jail’ He claims that since the clergy is not willing to listen to them and give them their rights, they have to show the importance of the matter by holding non-violent demonstrations.
• Changing the Unjust Laws: “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Therefore, the main aim of the letter was to push for the changing of the unjust laws as well as upholding the Supreme Court ruling of the year 1954.
• Separate but Equal: “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. In particular, it is necessary to analyze this work in terms of ethos, pathos, and logos and the way in which King balances these three appeals in order to convince the readers.
• Martin Luther King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” This letter from Birmingham Jail analysis essay shall highlight some of the issues discussed in the historic letter including King’s reason for being in Birmingham and why he felt compelled to break the law.
• The Political Undertones in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• An Analysis of Unjust and Just Laws in America in the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• Argumentative Synthesis “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• A Comparison of Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience
• Appeal to Emotions in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Counter-Argument to the Public Statement of Alabama Clergymen in Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• An Interpretation of Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• An Argument Towards Several Clergy Men in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King
• The Strong Moral Values as Portrayed in King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• An Analysis of Whether It Is Moral or Not to Disobey Laws in the Articles of “Crito” by Plato and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Use of Literary Elements in Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• Logical Fallacies in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• Unveiling the Battle Against Racism in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• Exploration of Civil Disobedience in Sophocles’ “Antigone,” King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” and Plato’s “Crito”
• “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Leadership Style
• Prejudice and Discrimination Depicted in “The Myth of the Latin Woman” and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• A Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• The Need of Equality and Peace for the African American Community in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Ideas of Wholeness and Brokenness in Victor Frankl’s “Man’ Search for Meaning” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• Evaluation of “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Resistance to Civil Government
• Right or Wrong to Break the Law and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• The Role of Education and Critical Literacy and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• Freedom From Oppression in “Night” by Elie Wiesel, the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• Martin Luther King as Activist and Outsider and His “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• Moral and Political History of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• The Ethos of Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”: Wisdom, Argument, and Morality
• Value of Community for Human and “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• The Use of Figurative Language in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• Using the Rhetorical Triangle “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King
• The Resemblance of the Rogerian Argument in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Relevance of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• The Sin of Morality in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own”
• Social Justice and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• White Privilege and “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Efficient Use of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• An Argument in Favor of the Abortion Protest as Justified and the Speeding Case Unjustified in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”
• The Purpose of “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Power of Persuasion to Change Situation in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• How Martin Luther King Pushes for a Fight Against the Injustices Caused by Racial Inequality in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Is the Primary Purpose of the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Quizlet?
• What Did Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Argue?
• What Is the Connection Between “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Resistance to Civil Government?
• What Are the Three Main Ideas of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• Who Is Martin Luther King Jr Addressing in His “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Is the Main Conclusion of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Was King’s Primary Purpose for Writing This Letter in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• How Do “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and “More Perfect Union” Alike and Also Different?
• What Are Just and Unjust Laws According to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In His “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• How Does the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Deal With the Subject of Race?
• How Is Justifies the Abortion Protests Based on Justified Civil Disobedience Concept in the “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• Why Is “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Important?
• How in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Describe Against Discrimination and Segregation?
• What Is the Connection Between “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Civil Disobedience?
• What Are Martin Luther King’s Reasons for Protest Explained in His “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Is the Thesis of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• How Martin Luther King’s Use of Historical and Religious Figures in His “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• How Did Martin Luther Kings Use Pathos and Logos in His “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Is the Connection Between Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” Contemporary America, and U.S. Foreign Policy?
• How Prejudice and Discrimination Depicted in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Used Rhetorical Strategies for Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• How Is Influenced on the Society the Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Was the Main Point of the “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Are the Strong Moral Values Portrayed in King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• What Are the Tone and Writing Techniques of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”?
• How Describes White Privilege in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.?
• White Privilege Essay Topics
• To Kill a Mockingbird Topics
• Segregation Research Topics
• Abraham Lincoln Topics
• The Crucible Research Topics
• Franklin Roosevelt Questions
• Civil Disobedience Essay Topics
• Frederick Douglass Essay Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 28). 83 Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts, Topics, & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/letter-from-birmingham-jail-essay-examples/

"83 Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts, Topics, & Examples." IvyPanda , 28 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/letter-from-birmingham-jail-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '83 Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts, Topics, & Examples'. 28 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "83 Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts, Topics, & Examples." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/letter-from-birmingham-jail-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "83 Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts, Topics, & Examples." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/letter-from-birmingham-jail-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "83 Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay Prompts, Topics, & Examples." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/letter-from-birmingham-jail-essay-examples/.

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Letter From Birmingham Jail — Application of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in The Letter from Birmingham Jail

Application of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in The Letter from Birmingham Jail

• Categories: Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King

About this sample

Words: 911 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 911 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

• Fulkerson, R. P. (1979). The public letter as a rhetorical form: Structure, logic, and style in king's “letter from Birmingham jail”. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 65(2), 121-136. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00335637909383465?journalCode=rqjs20)
• Leff, M. C., & Utley, E. A. (2004). Instrumental and Constitutive Rhetoric in Martin Luther King Jr.'s" Letter from Birmingham Jail". Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 7(1), 37-51. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/26/article/55773/summary)
• King Jr, M. L. (1992). Letter from Birmingham jail. UC Davis L. Rev., 26, 835. (https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/davlr26&div=31&id=&page=)
• Leff, M. (2003). Rhetoric and dialectic in Martin Luther King’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’. Anyone who has a view: Theoretical contributions to the study of argumentation, 255-268. (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-1078-8_20)
• Doss, J. J. V. ‘LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL’–DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: TOKENISM TO SIMPLE CONCRETE STEPS TO MASSIVE SOCIAL CHANGE. (https://shanlax.com/wp-content/uploads/SIJ_English_V4_N4_009.pdf)

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Social Issues

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 954 words

2 pages / 1056 words

3 pages / 1394 words

3 pages / 1420 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Letter From Birmingham Jail

On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. composed his seminal work, "Letter From Birmingham Jail," while being incarcerated for participating in nonviolent protests against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. In this [...]

Rhetorical Devices and Strategies: Analyze the various rhetorical devices and strategies used by Martin Luther King Jr. in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," including ethos, pathos, logos, and parallelism, and discuss [...]

One of the most powerful rhetorical devices used by Martin Luther King Jr. in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is anaphora. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. [...]

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a group of African-Americans embarked on a mission to challenge the segregation laws in the South. Their plan was to march into downtown Birmingham, Alabama and express their disapproval [...]

In his renowned "Letter from Birmingham Jail" penned in 1963, the author, Martin Luther King Jr., employs extended allusions to various philosophers, including Aquinas and Socrates, which might imply an affinity with them. [...]

Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Jesus, all these radical men and more are alluded to in Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” His use of their names in the context of this paper creates a form of kinship [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free