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Letter From Birmingham Jail

While in a Birmingham jail cell, Martin Luther King, Jr. composed “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” The letter serves as his response to the criticism of his work and ideas by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama. The letter is an attempt by King to undermine the criticism of the clergy. In so doing, he develops his notions of man-made law versus moral law and just laws versus unjust laws. He, too, criticizes the church and the police actions and lack of support toward the dismantling of segregation as evidence that they merely reinforce the status quo as opposed to helping eliminate injustice in society in keeping with the promises of the Declaration of Independence. In a sense, the letter is more than King’s defense of his work and ideas, it is also intended to shame those among the clergy and law enforcement who have not accepted their duty to uphold moral law and democracy as defined in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Further, King uses the letter to make one final distinction; the distinction between the judgement of men and the judgement of God. As he says at the end of Letter “If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates me having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me” (King 10).

It is easy to support the theories and concepts being advocated in King’s Letter, especially since they are based on sound reasoning, true Judaeo-Christian ethics, the U.S. Constitution and brotherhood for all. This is because he uses a higher judge than mankind to support his assertions. He uses the judgement of God and the Judaeo-Christian ethic that brotherhood for all is the true purpose of religion and society. King sees past racism, color lines, po

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Letter From Birmingham Jail. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:31, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1685867.html