Good Martin Luther King Arguments In Support Of Non-Violent Resistance Essay Example

Marking Luther King Jr. is one of the most prominent figures during the civil rights movements of 1960s. He led the African-Americans in a peaceful demonstration to imply resistance to racism. In a letter during his time in Birmingham City jail, King articulated his position in support of the non-violent resistance to racism. As a theologian, King emphasized the values of Christian living in understanding the nature of violence. One of the strong arguments indicated in the letter is the statement that, “it is wrong to use immoral means (meaning violence) to attain moral ends”. In this argument, King simply suggested that to attain equality should not be justified by violence. From another perspective, King supported the direct action instead of negotiation because the direct action tends to create a crisis and tension on the community has refused to negotiate in the first place, hence, the nonviolent action forces the community to confront the issue.
The direct action by King and the other participants of the demonstration gained criticism, which King also addressed in his letter. His critics called the strategy untimely and unwise and that him being an outsider of Birmingham does not concern him of the issue. However, King responded to this statement that, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere never again that we live with the narrow provincial outsider agitator” The statement from the letter has provided a short, but concise argument of his actions, justifying his activities and support of the non-violent protest. In addition, King responded to his critics by citing analogies from the work of the apostles to reiterate his Christian position on the matters of the direct action. More importantly, King responded with great restraints in his choice of arguments.