Abraham Lincoln Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

Lincoln & King Although there are almost one hundred years separating Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address and Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.’s letter from a Birmingham jail, these men are connected through their writings. Three ways that Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are connected in their writings, is through their missions to free the oppressed, their use of scripture and biblical examples, and their disgust with the injustices, which led to the tragedy they both shared in being assassinated for their efforts of civil justice and maintaining peace.

An example of the use of scriptural and biblical quotes or the connection of God in their writings is provided in the “Second Inaugural Address” when Abraham Lincoln states,

King’s letter as he discussed his labors to bring attention to the injustice and free the oppressed when he stated, “I am here because injustice is here” (Peterson, Linda H. et al., 2012, p.819). He continues, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (Peterson, Linda H. et al., 2012, p.821). Both Lincoln and King reference a long history of injustice. Lincoln when he mentions, “two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash” (Peterson, Linda H. et al., 2012, p.821. King, when he mentions, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights” (Peterson, Linda H. et al., 2012, p.821).

The most obvious connection that Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. share is their displeasure with slavery, racial and civil injustices. This connection placed both men in danger and came with a heavy price. Their efforts cost both men their lives. Interestingly, they were both assassinated in the month of April almost a hundred years apart. In addition, both Lincoln and King did not live to see the results of their