The speech was delivered by Martin Luther King Junior in 1967 at a meeting of the clergy, who had concerns about the Vietnam War. The speech by King was terse and with love. King and other members of the clergy had watched the Vietnam War for decades and had grown tired of it. As men of God, the members of the clergy felt it was their moral obligation to speak up. Admittedly, they felt that their silence towards was a form of betrayal to the human race and God Himself. To shun such a feeling, they decided to channel out their heartfelt perceptions of the Vietnam issue through King.
In the speech, King spoke vehemently against the war in Vietnam pointing several reasons why the war should come to an end. Among the reasons adduced by him were that the war was against the motto of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was “To save the soul of America” (King and Myers). The conference championed for the uplifting of the living standards and the poor and downtrodden in America. King and his team had been working tirelessly to make sure that the oppressed in America get a fair share of the national cake and feel part of America. In his view, America, and in particular, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference would not achieve its objective if Americans are seen to perpetrate what they were fighting for their homeland, in other countries. He clearly reveals that the only way to save Americans was to make sure America was walking the talks of the clergy and other concerned parties. His drive was fueled by his need ensure that the world embraces brotherhood.
The other aspect pointed out by King was the militarism that America was displaying in Vietnam. In his view, America was supporting modern colonialism in Vietnam through finance. Vietnam gained independence in 1945 from French and Japanese. However, America was aiding the French in the perpetration of several attacks in Vietnam. In supporting the French to reclaim their previous colony, King says that America was dropping several bombs in Vietnamese communities, children, and women, poisoning drinking water, killing crops, leaving people homeless, destroying vegetation, and leaving them begging for food. America was also supporting the selling of Vietnamese mothers and sisters to US soldiers. Consequently, King felt that it was the duty of the concerned clergy to intervene and speak on behalf of the oppressed Vietnamese since they were their brothers and sisters.
Some of the solutions offered by King to end the Vietnam War were as follows: He requested various churches and synagogues to continue persuading America to end the war, called for an end to all bombing in the place, called for unilateral ceasefire, championed for the recognition of the National Liberation Front, urged the removal of the various foreign forces in America according to the 1954 Geneva Convention, and the prevention of the battle grounds in South east Asia among other things (King and Myers). In so doing, he felt that peace would come to Vietnam and America would regain its once good face from the international community.
Works Cited
King, Martin L, and Walter D. Myers. A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr. for Students. , 2013. Internet resource.
