Malcolm X had a different perspective than MLK. He felt whatever form of protest that was needed to succeed was the form he should use. He felt that blacks should be more concerned with helping each other before helping anyone else. Malcolm X didn’t agree with what King’s views, he believed that MLK’s dream was not a dream but a nightmare. Martin Luther King Jr’s approach to civil rights and equality was non-violent protesting, sit-ins, and getting as much people together as possible while not using violence.
Therefore, in this letter, King emphasizes, “I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King). Because of the brutally barbaric response of Birmingham 's white authorities, a historical event occurred in 1962 when “ Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth persuaded the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC), led by King to target its protests at segregation in Birmingham” (Lerner et al). In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King offers four basic steps that SCLC waged the process of organizing the nonviolent and direct action including “collection of the facts to
The criticism made by the these eight clergyman epitomize the idea of whiteness and white privilege. Rather than to offer assistance and guidance for King and his efforts to diminish racial injustices prevalent in the South, they, instead, offer criticism in an attempt to depreciate King’s fight for racial equity. This rhetoric has occurred often throughout American history, where we see white individuals devaluing and hindering the progress made by individuals of color. For example, one of the critiques that King received was that The Negro community should be more patient and wait for society to move gradually toward civil rights. What white individuals fail to understand is that there is no such thing
Martin Luther King wrote his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," in response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight religious leaders of the South. The statement "A Call For Unity", implored Dr. King and his "outsiders" to obey the law and wait for integration to naturally come out of the courts. King responded with his Letter from Birmingham Jail, voicing his disappointment in the white clergy, who should be "among our strongest allies". This was the persuasive power of King’s writing, an epitome of the art of rhetoric. His letter used the three rhetorical appeals ethos, pathos, and logos, while also utilizing the literary device of kairos in an attempt to explain his actions and change the opinions of his audience.
Washington believe African Americans deserve equal rights, yet the government continuously declines these rights on the notion that African Americans are an inferior race. Washington argues that it is important for African Americans to have equal rights, but he also believes African Americans need to find a way to be prepared for their newfound privileges. In his Atlanta Compromise speech, Washington states, “It is important and right that all privileges of the law be ours, but it is vastly more important that we be prepared for the exercise of these privileges.”(Washington 2) In this quote, Booker T. Washington evinces his viewpoint by crediting privileges in the constitution must be presented upon every citizen of the United States, but he advises his fellow African Americans to be wary of their newfound rights. Like Washington, Dubois also believes that African Americans deserve equal rights. In his Niagara Movement speech, he states, “We will not be satisfied to take on jot or tittle less than our full manhood rights.”(Dubois 1) This quote expounds W.E.B Dubois’ viewpoint as being similar to Washington in that both men believe that African Americans deserve equal rights, yet they are continuously being being refused these
Martin Luther King Jr. was a pivotal member in the Civil Rights movement and was an advocate for peaceful protest to gain equality. The March on Washington was held on August 28, 1963 and was a crucial event in the Civil Rights Movement in which King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. His speech displayed how one could protest peacefully, whilst, his audience, the American people, absorbed the message whole-heartedly due to his use of rhetorical devices. The purpose of King’s speech was to broadcast to the American people that they should protest peacefully instead of protesting with violence. King shows his message by recommending, “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” Additionally, he believed that one should not exhaust their efforts on violence.
Martin Luther King Jr once stated, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” in his Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. He was invoking the principle of civil disobedience. He wasn't justifying breaking laws just because, but instead, meant that you break the law and accept your punishment, in hopes that people will come to see that the law is unethical. Civil disobedience plays an important role in how our society has been shaped up until this point. It is out of the selfless act of heroes and heroines of civil disobedience such as Mahatma Gandhi that the society is enjoying the fruits today.
These two paragraphs show, truly, how and why segregation was an unjust law without going into segregation itself, this is another reason I think that paragraphs 6 and 7 are the strongest in this letter. These paragraphs mention segregation and talk about a situation of segregation, but they never go into great detail on segregation. They merely talk about what makes a law unjust or just and with that they prove segregation was unjust. I think that because King can prove that segregation is an unjust law without going into segregation itself is amazing and that it helped to strengthen both his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and civil rights
Another event that changed civil rights is that they kept African Americans from illegal drugs. To repeat, the NAACP wanted to make America for real Americans: and make sure that lynching and segregation were not part of it. (naacp.org) Members helped to organize events for racial discrimination and helped the United States to realize they needed to pass a bill to end segregation. For the most part, the NAACP has worked hard to change civil rights and how people were being
The 1960-70’s was the height of the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans were dedicated to gaining liberties which only whites could exercise freely, and did this was done through peaceful as well as violent means of protest. Individuals such as Martin Luther King protested by means of preaching peace and utilizing nonviolent actions against whites while others such as Malcolm x and elijah muhammad resorted to not only violence, yet separatism to protest and show their urge to gain civil Liberties. Though, both methods of protest were aimed towards the same goal, only one was to be influential and bring about the change that African Americans desire. Right after President Kennedy had come into office, “African Americans showed confidence that the new administration would take a more active role in aiding the civil
Martin Luther King Martin Luther King harped on civil disobedience for any moral arguments. Treating citizens differently based on skin color was nefarious, King wished to speak out to change but insisted on non-violent acts to do so. He expressed his thoughts in the “I Have a Dream” speech publically in a passive fashion. This passionate, positive and encouraging speech flourished King’s views and changed the American government’s unjust laws. Although, King did not use destructive force to get his point across, he did break some laws.
Although that was enough reason to be in Birmingham King goes on further to say that he is in Birmingham because injustice is here. King says he couldn’t ignore the fact there was injustice in Birmingham regardless if he was an outsider or not. King goes on to say that “injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere” this builds on the theory that “whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Defending his belief on just and unjust laws, King uses a quote of St. Augustine the quote says, “A unjust law is no law at all.” King uses this to answer the criticism on how can you advocate people to obey one law but breaking others. Now that king established the theory of Just and Unjust laws he then explains the difference between a just and unjust law, King says just laws “square with moral law” meaning the law agrees with the law of god.
Letter from Birmingham Jail The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr was a letter that he wrote to answer the statement to fellow clergymen for calling his activities “Unwise and untimely. First, he explained the reason why he was in the Birmingham; it was because he could not ignore the injustice problem there. The injustice anywhere was the reason for him become active in working for civil rights in Birmingham even though he did not claim permanent residence there. The letter mentioned about the strategy of nonviolence resistance to racism. Martin Luther King described the racism problem in his letter, and also explained the reasons why they could not wait for help anymore.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both African American leaders of the Africa-American Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s. Although slavery had been abolished after the Civil War, Africans were still treated unequally. Both Dr. King and Malcolm X fought to gain equality between Africans and the white Americans through the use of rhetorical techniques throughout their discourses. By examining “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. and “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X, we observe their reliance on logos and appeal to logos in order to construct their arguments. Dr. King effectively uses analogies to depict his views and beliefs to the Clergymen.
As a result of the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the blacks, all people, both white and black, knew it was going to change their way of life forever.The Montgomery Bus Boycott started a revolution of changes in the way people think, act, and live in a society as a whole. In many opinions, the boycott became a resolution to some of the biggest worldly problems as Joseph Lowery stated, ‘I think the Montgomery Bus Boycott initiated an era of self-determination,” (Lowery). This concept was so eloquent that this victory inspired blacks to challenge other segregation issues to the Supreme Court, for the boycott had ended something horrible, and commenced something wonderful. The black community accomplished so much just by starting the act of standing up for what they knew was right and wrong. For in the inspiration and words of Martin Luther King Jr., “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice,” (King).