Letter from Birmingham Jail

Letter from Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King, Jr. Analyzing Seminal Document Focus Standards LAFS.910.RI.1.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. LAFS.910.RI.1.2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of a text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary. LAFS.910.RI.3.8: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. LAFS.910.RI.3.9: Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance, including how they address related themes and concepts. LAFS.910.W.3.9b: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction. LAFS.910.W.4.10: Write routinely over extended frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Analyzing Arguments in a Seminal Document When you analyze argument, you must identify the claims, or the writer’s positions on the issue or problem. You also need to examine and evaluate the reasons and evidence used to support the claims, while also looking at the counter arguments provided to address opposing views. For example, in Letter from Birmingham Jail, note the different types of reasons King provides to justify his presence in Birmingham and consider questions that might help you assess the validity of his reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of his evidence. Organizational Reasons Religious/Historical Reasons Moral Reasons “I am here because I have organizational ties here.” “Just as the prophets… so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” “I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham.” What facts does King provide to contest the idea that he is an outsider? How does this reasoning appeal to the shared beliefs of King’s audience? 1. “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.” 1. “We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.” 2. “Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” 3. “The early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the Church was not 2. “Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary.” 3. “We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.” Is this a valid statement? What evidence supports this reasoning? 1.“My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily” 2.“My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest." They will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience' sake.” 3.“Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog 4. “Then, last September, came the opportunity to talk with leaders of Birmingham's economic community.” 5. “We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the national community.” 6. “I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure.” 7. “We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the national community.” 8. “We decided to schedule our direct action program for the Easter season, realizing that except for Christmas, this is the main shopping period of the year. Knowing that a strong economic-withdrawal program would be the by product of direct action, we felt that this would be the best time to bring pressure to bear on the merchants for the needed change.” 9. “The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation.” 10.” I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.” 4. “One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.” 5. “Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being 'disturbers of the peace' and 'outside agitators.' But they went on with the conviction that they were a 'colony of heaven' and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be 'astronomically intimidated.' They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest. Things are different now. The contemporary Church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the Church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the Church’s silent and often vocal sanction of things as they are.” 6. “Of course there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions…” 7. ”I have been so greatly disappointed with the white of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.” 4.“Some have been dismissed from their churches, have lost the support of their bishops and fellow ministers. But they have acted in the faith that right defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. Their witness has been the spiritual salt that has preserved the true meaning of the gospel in these troubled times.” 5.“Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia and the hope of the world.” 6. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” 7. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” 8. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea.” 9. “I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes.” 10. “It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.” structure.” Church and its leadership.” 8. ”I have wept over the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.” 9. “I am meeting young people every day whose disappointment with the Church has risen to outright disgust” 10. ”when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were in reality standing up for the best in the American dream and the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage, and thus carrying our whole nation back to great wells of democracy” Although King’s letter was addressed to his “Fellow Clergymen”, it was disseminated by the media to the public. To better comprehend why this letter, a seminal U.S. document, had such an impact on the civil rights cause, think about the themes, or the underlying messages, that King wants his audience to understand. What universal themes does King explore in his letter? 1. Civil disobedience 2. Justice/Injustice What makes these themes universal? He talks about they both must show love and respect for the law overall. He believed that individual action can inspire and change people in pursuit of a world free of hatred.He argues that laws must be imbued with a moral sense in order to be just; in other words, law and morality cannot be seen as separate pursuits or areas. King uses allusions to help connect the civil rights movement to other historical and religious figures and events. List some of his allusions: 1. Pilgrims in Plymouth 2. Declaration of Independence 3. Slavery In what ways do allusions add power to King’s letter? The allusions add power because he’s talking about how how African Americans were always there. He refers to the Declaration of Independence to state that everyone is suppose to be equal according to that document. He refers to slavery and Pilgrims to state that African Americans have been here just as long as whites, so they should have the same rights. How might they help promote his cause? It helps promote his cause because people will actually think and consider what he’s saying when he made the comparison. How might they influence other groups of people? They could influence other groups and people by helping them understand. Analyzing the Text. Support your responses with evidence from the text. Summarize 1. Based on details in the letter, what do you now about King’s position and the events that prompted him to write this letter? He had organizational ties to be there, he was there because it was morally correct and he had religious/historical reasons. He was arrested and someone sent him a letter asking why and so he explained why he was there and the events leading up to. 2. What claim is he supporting in his argument? In his famous open letter from the Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. defended both his right and his moral grounds for organizing nonviolent protest activities in support of the civil rights of African Americans. He defended breaking laws when those laws are unjust. Analyze 1. How does King define just and unjust laws? He makes a clear distinction between both of them. In his words, “A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or law of God.” An unjust law is a code that is “out of harmony with the moral law.” 2. How does defining certain laws as unjust provide an incentive for his readers to support his actions? Because any law that he would define unjust is a law that degrades human personality. Summarize 1. According to King, what are the four basic steps in a nonviolent campaign? The four basic steps are: collection of facts to determine whether injustices exist, negotiation, self purification, and direct action. 2. How did King’s organization follow these steps in Birmingham? They followed these steps by trying to negotiate with the city fathers but nothing changed. So they started doing peaceful protests and sit-ins. Also, they did workshops on nonviolence for self purification. Draw Conclusions (refer to lines 143-179) “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’... We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights...Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, ‘Wait.’ But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her King says that “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’.” To what does he refer, and how does he defend his position on this topic? little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness towards white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking; ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading ‘white’ and ‘colored’; when your first name becomes ‘nigger,’ your middle name becomes ‘boy’ (however old you are) and your last name becomes ‘John,’ and your wife and mother are never given the respected title ‘Mrs.’; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodiness’ -- then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.” Analyze (refer to lines 37-43) “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” Discuss whether King uses valid reasoning when he states that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” What evidence does he provide to support this idea? Yes he does use valid reasoning. He says that whatever affects one directly affects all. Slavery for example. Racism. The “outside agitator” idea. All examples of inequality. Interpret: (refer to lines 265-281) “I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in this stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but i cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises What does King mean when he says “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will”? the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. Analyzing Rhetoric in Arguments: Now that you have finished reading and analyzing King’s letter, what evidence did you find most compelling and why? Consider whether one of the specific reasons or arguments impacted your reaction to King’s argument more than others. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.