Basic Identification
While confined in Birmingham prison, Martin Luther King Jr. jotted down a letter that explained the reasons for his arrest in 1963. Martin wrote the manuscript on scrap papers, newspaper corners, and the toilet paper while imprisoned in a solitary cell in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. He wrote the letter to respond to the nine criticisms of the clergymen regarding King and his fellow activists. Racism was highly prevalent in Birmingham during the 1950s and 60s. King was arrested for taking part in an anti-segregation parade in the town because he did not have a permit (King, par. 7).
King played a fundamental role in the civil rights movement that championed the rights of the African Americans from 1929 to 1968. He was a social activist and Baptist minister who was inspired by nonviolence advocates like Mahatma Gandhi to conduct peaceful protests that outlined the injustices inflicted on the Blacks in the U.S. King was the driving force behind events such as the Washington March and the Montgomery Bus Boycott that led to the institution of crucial policies such as the Voting Rights in 1965 and the Civil Rights Law in 1964. King was a gifted African American, who was born in a well-off family of a dad who was a religious leader and mother who taught in school (Alridge, 669).
The educational background of King grew him into a good orator and writer who could draw the attention of masses and inspire them to focus on a common directive. He grew up in the Sweet Auburn Town that was home to many prosperous and prominent African Americans in the nation. The growth propelled King to become a fearless force that was determined to acquire justice and equality for his fellow Blacks. As a gifted writer, King managed to draw logical appeals, ethical values, and emotions in the letter he crafted in Birmingham jail. The manuscript outlines the great injustices towards the African Americans in Birmingham (King, par. 3). Even though he did not come from the town, he develops an argument why he had to be there to end the Whites’ terror on the Blacks.
Historical Context
The letter was crafted in a tiny cell by a determined Martin Luther King, who had the significant possibility of being killed in Birmingham. He was worried about the conditions of the African Americans in the city. Hence, he decided to lead a march in Birmingham at a time when he knew that the town would be busiest during the holiday season. King ended up in prison on Good Friday because of going against an injunction that prevented them from holding protests. With a stubby pencil and scrap papers, he began writing the letter that was sneaked out by his attorney during the eight days that he was in Birmingham jail. He responded to the criticisms of several prominent White clergymen to show his focus on changing the social atmosphere in the town (Johnson, 5).
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the word Birmingham raised horrifying and haunting images of police brutality and church bombings. The city was once known for providing the best conditions for the Blacks in the South. However, time showed that Birmingham was unwilling to give up its archaic racial ways. The commissioner of Public Safety at the time, Eugene Connor, strived to maintain White Supremacy using a combination of ferocious arrests, violence, and harassment. The height of the racial oppression sparked in1956 when the Alabama Christian Association Church led by Reverend Shuttlesworth was blown off by a bomb (King Jr, 16).
Shuttlesworth’s church was completely turned in shambles later on in 1958 using dynamite. Shuttlesworth sought help from King to bring his protests to Birmingham to address the growing problem. The letter written by King is a consistent and detailed outline of the events that took place in Birmingham during the 1950s and 60s. Unlike, the theoretical knowledge provided in course textbooks, the manuscript gives an account of the gruesome issue of White Supremacy from the person who took it upon himself to end the violence (Cook, 1021).
King provides the challenges that he faced in Birmingham during his non-violent campaign that revealed that direct action was necessary if the Blacks were to obtain justice. The situation in the city could not have been portrayed any better than the way Martin Luther King did in the letter he wrote in Birmingham prison. The excerpt also gave hope and inspiration to the suffering African-Americans in the town that the segregation and violence would end if they choose to retaliate peacefully (King Jr, 28).
The major concepts and historical facts that emerge from the Letter From Birmingham City Jail is the issue of White Supremacy and racial oppression. Also, the mechanisms that Civil Rights Leaders were using to obtain justice and those who were against the tactics are depicted by the text. King outlines nine criticisms against the White clergymen who disapproved the marches and sit-ins used to negotiate the African Americans’ terms of equality. He says that he is not an outsider who was interfering with the affairs of Birmingham City. He provides three reasons that it was appropriate for him to be there. They include the justice threat to the Blacks, the Gospel of freedom, and the president of the Christian movement in Alabama had invited him (Johnson, 14).
King adds that it is appropriate for him to deliver his messages using public demonstrations. The White leadership structure in the city did not leave him with any other choice but to utilize the non-violence protests to counteract the unwillingness of the local merchants and leaders to conduct negotiations. The direct action came in to create the tension that could not be obtained through discussions. The African Americans were no longer willing to be patient as they continued to suffer under the rule of the Whites (Cook, 1040).
It was thus time for Blacks to confront the society with their social justice demands. The values addressed by King’s letter align with the practices in modern times. People prefer to administer negotiations and non-violent demonstrations to prevent more harm from taking place. It also sheds light on the unjust policies that are found in a society that bar people from seeking social justice. King succinctly captures all the historical elements by relating different events such as the German oppression of Jews and Muslim revolutions that drive the theme of equality in the letter (King, par. 9).
Relevance of the Source
Primary excerpts give a window to restore events that took place in the past. Most of the revelations are unfiltered records of political, scientific, social, and artistic achievements and thoughts. The letter of Birmingham develops a close contact or a real sense of what if felt for Martin Luther King being locked up in a bid to fight for the freedoms of African Americans. It also brings out the state of havoc that existed in Birmingham and why King defied all the critics and objections to intervening in the city’s affairs (Johnson, 23). Secondary sources cannot bring out the real experiences and close contact of a primary source because they are derived from the individuals who witnessed the events first-hand.
Several primary manuscripts written by other activists such as Malcolm X and John Lewis also shed light on the racial oppression of the Blacks. Malcolm X, on his part, also supported direct action though from a forceful standpoint of violence. Martin Luther King always found a way to display his determination and inspire the African Americans to obtain equality through speeches such as I have a Dream and Beyond Vietnam (Alridge, 682). The primary sources depict a fundamental part in Black history that saw the end of slavery and the acquisition of equal opportunities and rights in America. They also portray the hardships that the activists had to undergo to deliver a better surrounding for their children and grandchildren.
Works Cited
Alridge, Derrick. "The limits of master narratives in history textbooks: An analysis of representations of Martin Luther King, Jr." The Teachers College Record 108.4 (2006): 662-686.
Cook, Anthony E. "Beyond Critical Legal Studies: The Reconstructive Theology of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." Harvard Law Review (1990): 985-1044.
Johnson, Davi. "Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 Birmingham campaign as image event." Rhetoric & Public Affairs 10.1 (2007): 1-25.
King, Martin Luther. Letter From Birmingham City Jail, 1963.
King Jr, Martin Luther. Stride toward freedom: The Montgomery story. Vol. 1. Beacon Press, 2010.
