Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence Summary

“Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” is an anti-Vietnam war and social justice speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4th of 1967. In this speech, Dr. King was trying to declare that there should be no war in Vietnam. He was talking about making a peace treaty and negotiations with all the parties about the war. He seems worried about those poor black and white American who were sent to war and their family. He was also trying to apologize for all the sins and mistakes that American made to the poor families, children’s and women’s through this speech. King proposed to stop all the bombings in Vietnam and completely stop the war which was going on devastating the North and South Vietnam.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a preacher and was very good at capturing audience’s attention. He was also well-known for his activist, Humanitarian and leadership works. He has contributed a lot to the African American civil rights movement. There were 3,000 number of Audience gathered at the Riverside church in New York City with all the honorable ministers such as Dr. Bennett, Dr. Commager, Rabbi Heschel and other to listen to his speech due to King’s

speech seems credible. King’s speech has honestly, a dream and a hope for humanity to make this world a better place. Although there were many critics and disapproval of King’s speech during that period I totally agree with his points and his speech was truly effective to form civil rights and peace movements.
Firstly, King’s major concern was the exploitation of poor black and white people.

He said the poor black and white Americans were sent to the war where they were not supposed to be in danger far away from their family. He seems worried about their poor family and their lives. He said “A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor, both black and white, through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything on a society gone mad on war”. The war was sending the poor’s, their sons, their brothers and their husbands to die. He found that the civil rights and justice he provided

failed.
King said, “young black men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in Southwest Georgia and East Harlem”. The speech he gave “I Have A Dream” to give all the slaves a freedom and a new hope didn’t work for a longer since the war was destroying his hope and his dreams. Through his speech, King was able to speak about how American government was drawing especially the young black men this way he addressed racial inequalities during the “Beyond Vietnam” Speech. That’s why he came and spoke in front of thousands of people for their liberty and freedom.
King’s speech declares peace and harmony and his whole intention through the speech was to end the war that was ruining the nation. He made claims that we are killing millions of lives including their crops in Vietnam. Their children were abused and women were raped. They weep as the bulldozers roar through their areas preparing to destroy the precious trees in Vietnam. King was saying that American government should open their eyes and show some mercy in their life. He expresses his deep sympathy for those who were killed in the war. Thousands were killed and more than thousands wander into the hospital. The children, homeless were without clothes, running in the packs on the streets like animals. It was a situation of complete chaos in Vietnam for which America was responsible.
He was saying that America is not great. America has changed into something bad because of all the sins, errors and immoral activities doing for our own good. America has to be matured and make the right decisions before it’s too late. In kings speech, he says the world now demands the maturity of America which we may not able to achieve. The Americans should not let their friend to be their enemies. Even in the war, America will always have their victory because they are powerful and have stronger military force in the world, they haven’t realized that they might have so much of the deeply emotional, psychological and political defeat. His arguments seem true to me because America has been a nation which has the history of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism. He also says if this happens for longer America can lead to the long road of disaster. That’s why King has been disappointed with America.
Finally, King says that he opposes the war because he loves America. He speaks out against this war in Vietnam on behalf of those who were suffered and still suffering. He speaks out not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow to have a passionate desire to see America as an example of a moral country in the world. King wants the recovery as soon as possible for which he suggested five concrete things that American government should do which are as follows:
“One: End all bombing in North and South Vietnam.
Two: Declare a unilateral cease-fire in the hope that such action will create the atmosphere for negotiation.
Three: Take immediate steps to prevent other battlegrounds in Southeast Asia by curtailing our military buildup in Thailand and our interference in Laos.
Four: Realistically accept the fact that the National Liberation Front has substantial support in South Vietnam and must thereby play a role in any meaningful negotiations and any future Vietnam government.
Five: Set a date that we will remove all foreign troops from Vietnam in accordance with the 1954 Geneva Agreement.”
The bombings were the main issue of the war in Vietnam because they are the reason for the massive destruction. Negotiation is the only way to stop the war that’s why king proposed the idea of negotiation and peace treaty. Since King was worried about the poor black and white American soldiers he added that they should be returned home before they die in war. He also proposed the idea of the re-establishment and reparation of the damages due to the war. He wants the children and women to get a complete recovery. Medical aid must be provided where there is need of medical assistance. He also encouraged the audiences to must continue to raise the voices and protest if the nation persist in going towards the recovery process.
King in “Beyond Vietnam” is being honest and real by letting the people know what was going on in Vietnam, and how America's focus was then directed toward the war and how the government was drafting poor black and white men to the war. He made emotional appeals to the audience saying that we America have been wrong from the beginning of our adventure in Vietnam. The poor children who were hurt and women who were raped by our soldiers and all the other sins and error made in Vietnam, in order to atone it; the initiative must be taken in to bring the halt to the tragic war. King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech is effective in my opinion since it was for the good. He was against the war. In his speech he uses other people credibility which helped him to present his speech more effectively to his audience.
The overall claim that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed in this speech were the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights struggle, and the drafting of young black men. Although his claims were refused by most of the politicians and the high-class group of people since his overall claim was to get back from war and negotiate. However, the local audience and some other groups few years later he died agreed to his points of negotiations and peace treaty. The words used in his speech were extremely beautiful since he was a well-educated man. The way he presented his speech, like the way he started greeting the honorable men and his use of powerful words made his speech effective.