Essay Sample on The Importance of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Document

Introduction

"Letter from Birmingham Jail," written by Martin Luther King was written during the civil rights era. He wrote the letter while he was incarcerated in Birmingham prison. King was imprisoned on April 1963 because he defied a state injunction by deciding to lead a march of black protestors without a permit in the streets of Alabama. King wrote the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to Alabama clergymen who believed that the civil rights campaign would result in violence. In the document, he talks about life truths, respect, and equity for every individual that has ever faced any form of injustice in the world. He emphasizes the importance of justice and action by affirming that the former is lacking and the latter is inevitable. The paper discusses the importance of the document.

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The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is important because it is used to further the cause of civil rights. The letter was important and to an extent that it resulted in civil rights reforms, which led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) p.2). The civil rights movement was a struggle for the social injustices that took place during that era. However, today, there a myriad of injustices that fails to favor LGBTQ Americans, women, African Americans, and Muslim Americans. Besides, the laws put in place do not protect their rights. Martin Luther King affirms, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" (King, p.1). Even though King's letter was written many decades ago, his words are important because it makes people understand that they need to focus on fighting for their rights. In today's society, there are measures that hinder religious freedom, discrimination against the LGBTQ, issues within the criminal justice system, especially for African-Americans, voting rights, discrimination on women's health and reproductive rights, and fear for Muslim-Americans. In the letter, King affirms that he cannot sit calm and watch injustices happen in Birmingham. Arguably, the significance of the document comes in place because King's writings enable one to remain cognizant and learn to speak their thoughts if they see any form of injustice to promote change.

The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is important because it defends the strategy of non-violent resistance to racism. The letter has a historical significance based on the way Martin Luther King raised the issue of what it is like to live in a civilized society "Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) p.2). Notably, the laws of America worked to support whites who lived in America instead of blacks. In the letter, King advocates for a non-violent society because of color. He affirms, "Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood" (King p.2). Even though racism still exists in the society, King advised people to tackle the problem in a non-violent way.

The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is important because it pushes people towards a democratic society. King (p.4) questions the structures of laws in American society. In the document, he talks about unjust laws that hinder social change. He states, Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest" (p.4). The significance of the document comes in because when a person reads it, he or she can understand and relate to the injustices that happened during King's time. Besides, Rice (p.1), on speaking of the relevance of King's document indicates that the message in the document is the importance of an inclusive society and the promise of democracy. On a broader perspective, in the document, King reminds people of the importance of democracy and the way society should not remain stagnant.

Conclusion

Overall, "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a wonderfully developed and influential bit of writing by one of the most popular men in late history. Arguably, Martin Luther King managed to convince people that his actions were right and just in the letter. Notably, there is a lot to gain from a letter like this one. In this letter, Martin Luther King makes it extremely hard to contend for the issue of segregation. His capacity to comprehend his crowd and answer questions they may have was the most remarkable traits of this letter. The document is a call to action to every individual that it is their obligation to fight for their rights. Overall, the document is relevant to today's society because it drives people towards the direction of having a just society.

Works Cited

King, Martin, Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail. 1963. Accessible at

https://swap.stanford.edu/20141218230016/http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/kingweb/popular%5Frequests/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf

Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963). N.d. Accessible at

https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/coretexts/_files/resources/1963LetterfromBirminghamJail_discussion.pdf

Rice, Keith. A Martin Luther King Jr. Must-Read - and Why It's As Relevant Today.

Significance, 2017, Accessible at https://www.signature-reads.com/2017/01/mlk-jr-must-read-relevant-today/