Racial Tension In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Letter from a Birmingham Jail is an important piece of American literature written by Martin Luther King during a crucial time of the American Civil Rights Movement. The essay highlights the racial tension in the American deep-south, the so-called Bible belt. King exemplifies the mistreatment of African-Americans brought on by policemen and the biased political structure that geared toward upholding white American supremacy rather than equality. King cleverly employs several strategies such as showing cause and effect, compare and contrast, exemplifying, and defining to justify his actions. The letter was one of the catalysts in aiding African Americans to regain their hard-fought civil rights as the American citizens. King, a well-known peaceful

activist, defines the concept of law by taking his ideology and his loyal supporters to the street rather than the courtroom. His actions were initially met with both condemnation, admiration, and eventually contributed to his untimely death. King’s uphill battle against the rampant racism campaign was an important step that helped reshape American society today.
In April of 1963 Martin Luther King, a peaceful civil right activist was placed in a Birmingham jail for his role in several marches that demanded equal rights for African Americans (Rothman, 2015). While incarcerated, King composed a letter primarily in response to the criticism of his actions by the fellow white clergymen who had together issued “A Call for Unity” – condemning King’s method of direct action (Carpenter et al., 1963). King had to write the letter in the margin of the newspapers since he did not have access to a writing pad. King’s lawyers along with his associates collected the pieces, compiled them together, and published it to the mass (Maranzani, 2013). The content of the letter clearly shows King’s frustration, anger, and disappointment in fellow Americans – blacks and whites alike. He states that the demonstration occurs due to the unfulfilled promise of equality. Prior to his wrongful incarceration, many prominent members and merchants from the city of Birmingham had agreed to remove racial signs from their places of business, thereby granting blacks equal access to their storefronts - a treatment that widely considered a taboo in the Deep South at the time. The derogatory laden signs, however, quickly made their ways back to the forefront only after a few months had passed (King, 1994). King considers the abrupt turnaround an act of betrayal as he states that it forces him to act in the forthright manner by taking his voice to the street - protesting for a hope of provoking a sense of morality from his fellow American citizens. In addition to that, he brings up the biased and unjust treatment toward blacks by white policemen as evident by several cases of police brutality and numerous unsolved crimes that have gone unnoticed (King, 1994). The deep root of injustice leaves him no choice but to plead his case to the public eye rather than going through a lengthy due process in a courtroom.
King often uses historical contexts to support his actions as apparent in his famous speech I Have a Dream.

In that speech, he starts his second passage by saying “Five score years ago”, which directly resonates President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Both speeches are comparable in what the speakers are trying to accomplish. He also compares how Hitler’s crime against the Jews were deemed legal in Germany, while the allegedly criminal acts committed by the Hungarian Freedom Fighters whose goal was to freed themselves from the reign of terror imposed by the Soviet Union (Reagan, 1986). Both situations underline the nefarious but lawful acts under the Nazi Germany, which was in a stark contrast to the felonious but righteous acts in the Hungary. He further compares his action to the very root of the American Revolution to justify his endeavor. King’s approach is analogous to the Boston Tea Party, a peaceful act of dumping tea in the Boston harbor as a protest to procure the colonists’ rights – correspond to his courageous act almost two centuries

later.
The mid-20th century was such a difficult time for African Americans living in the United States.

As the racial tension mounted, African Americans felt the malevolent pressure upon them. The segregation between the two races helped spawn and publicize many extremist groups that often encourage ferocious acts such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Nation of Islam, and the Black Panther. Not only these aforementioned groups encouraged violence, they also preferred segregation. The unrelenting effort in seeking Isolation through the process of disintegration further divided the country and increased the racial tension. The extremist groups’ common objectives are in contrast to King’s ideology, which aimed to integrate and unify the country regardless of race and color. He cited that the black extremist was the perfect example of a group whose emergence based purely on frustration, anger, and hatred - primarily resulted from racial discrimination (King, 1994). Many white southerners considered King as an extremist, however, he clearly objected to this notion by defining his position through many of his peaceful assembles. He expresses that his nonviolent demonstration is a way to express the feeling toward the injustice and inequality as well as a form of outlet to let others aware of the issues (King,

1994).
The United States has gone through waves after waves of racial struggles – from the day of slavery, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and now the Black Lives Matter. The latter is laden with violence and controversy as opposed to Martin Luther King’s peaceful approach in fighting against discrimination, injustice, and inequality. His gifted ability to persuade the audience, both black and white alike helps improving the quality of life of the impoverished blacks and other minorities. The movements that once viewed as radical are now praised as heroic, historic, and profound. A courtroom is no longer the only place for those who seek justice as the street has risen to become an alternative platform that can effectively spread the message to the mass.