Generic Name Generic Date Generic Professor Name Generic Title (If Necessary) On April 16, 1963, Reverend

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail after being arrested during a peaceful protest against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. The letter was an innovative document that appealed to its readers both morally and spiritually. The principle purpose of the letter was to recognize as well as argue the injustices of segregation in the United States. I firmly agree with Dr. Kings belief that racism and segregation are wrong. Concurrently, I believe his arrest was outrageous. He was painstakingly justified in breaking Alabama laws because they contravened his First Amendment rights to speak freely and peacefully protest. On April 12, 1963, Dr King broke Alabama state laws by protesting segregation in Birmingham with 53 other African-American demonstrators. Since Dr. Kings protest was indeed peaceful, I believe he had every right to break the law. The First Amendment states Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Therefore, any law allowing the arrest of Dr. King and his supporters for a peaceful protest should have been null and void from the start. It is absolutely outrageous that they were arrested. Similar to the Rosa Parks incident, this arrest only went to prove the activists all the more correct.

The Letter from Birmingham Jail was a skillfully-written, detailed, religious and moral plea outlining the injustices of his arrest, as well as the injustices caused by segregation. It was a crucial document that persuaded Dr. Kings fellow clergymen, who were adamantly against the movement prior to the letter, to support the Civil Rights Movement. This was important because although 40% of the Birmingham population was black, approximately 13% of registered voters were. It was extremely important to add white supporters to the movement. A letter to clergymen could add such support through Christian churches, as 90% of the Birmingham population was Christian. The letter proved to be a success, as just four months later, 200,000 supporters marched on Washington D.C. for his famous I Have a Dream speech. Furthermore, the rhetoric in the document is so endure, that quotes from it are used today in newspapers, campaigns, and protests to expose injustices instilled upon citizens by the government. For example, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (now Governor) used quotes from this document to extinguish the resistance to the present-day Gay Rights Movement. Personally, I believe in Dr. Kings views on racial matters. Religiously, I believe all men and women are created equally. We are all children of God and should be treated as such. Politically, I see it as very important that no man, woman, government, or organization could ever obtain the ability to deny both human and Constitutional rights to another man, woman, government, or organization. I also believe its the responsibility of not only the United States government, but all governments and organizations around the world to combat racial inequality, as purging redundant hate and racism is the first major milestone in the ongoing quest toward world peace.

Segregation had numerous problems. Legally, it did an overbearing injustice to the Constitution, which states, and strictly maintains that all men are created equally. By considering African Americans as people (the founding fathers did not), any attempt at denying rights and abilities (that white men had) to them provided a discrepancy to the First Amendment. Segregation was used in every aspect of human life. It applied to eating at restaurants, using toilets, drinking from fountains, going to school, purchasing homes, seeing movies, and many more activities. I mention this because not only was it legally unjust, but socially as well. African Americans were given the worst quality facilities, as whites were given the most technologically advanced and better-maintained facilities. African Americans had broken down water fountains, went to school with the worst supplies and equipment, and had access to the worst environments for social activities. Whites were given new books and equipment in schools and had more parks and recreational areas (as well as larger ones). They were given more government money for maintenance too. In summary, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s letter from Birmingham Jail was a powerful, well-written, groundbreaking letter. It thoroughly and convincingly outlined the injustices of his arrest, segregation, and the laws of Alabama and the rest of the United States in the 1960s. Although he broke the law, I firmly believe he had every right to. I strictly stand by his beliefs, morals and actions. I believe that although we have a moral responsibility to obey just laws, we have a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I believe the concept of segregation is flawed and immoral. Consequently I think it is true that the details of segregation in the United States were legally and socially unjust.