Martin Luther Jrs Letter from Birmingham Jail

Dr. Martin Luther Jr is a fascinating character. He was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States in the 50s and 60s to end all forms of racial segregation though non-violent means to achieve social change. He was an eloquence speaker and a charismatic person determined to establish equality among all races. Dr. King Jr shares his greatness with Mahatma Khadi who headed a movement for Khadi as a relief program for the poor to enhance self-reliance and governance; just like Dr. King Jr, Khadi believed in social justice and equality as a universal measure of humanity.

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In a letter from Birmingham Jail addressed to clergymen, Dr. King expresses his dissatisfaction after they criticized his action and Southern Cristian leadership; Dr. King was a just person, who carried a gospel of freedom. He states that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. He states that I am in Birmingham because injustice is here (Dr. King.170). Dr. King was a religious person; his arguments were not just limited to morality but also recognizes the responsibility of organized religion in the context of Christianity. As a Christian minister, he believes in the potential of the church to deliver justice and urges the clergymen not to allow their organizations to compromise the actual mission of the church. He was a firm believer of justice through the church and argued that judgment will be at the church if it does not stand for the truth.

According to Dr. King Jr, an unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law (Dr. King,174). Dr. King Jr believes in civil disobedience where the law is oppressive; he found that individuals have a right to challenge the law that is unjust (Adams,2004). He refers to unjust law as one that degrades human dignity. Dr. King Jr notes that one has a right to break an unjust law in a non-violent way (176). His achievement was impressive despite the fact that he was not violent. Dr. King was a strong believer of universal humanity by justifying his extremism in a philosophical way. He believed that all men are connected whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly (Dr. King,170). It is inspiring how Dr. King Jr embraced universal justice none-violently.

Dr. King was an action oriented person. He calls on individual actions by stating that time itself is neutral (Dr. King,178) it relies on personal steps to define the world. He believes that time cannot solve anything if men and women do not act. He states that those who will show patience and moderation will be forgotten because change is the only important thing. He further states that For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied" (Dr. King, 173. Cowardice is an ability to actively fail to pursue a change in the face of injustice King Jr was a universal social liberator.

Work Cited

Fairclough, Adam, "Dividing Lines: Municipal Politics and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma," Alabama Review 57 no. 2 (2004): 132-140

King, Martin Luther, "Letter from Birmingham jail.' Letter From Birmingham Jail" (April 16, 1963).

Mattson, Kevin, "Martin Luther King, Jr.," Social Policy 30 no. 2 (1999).