MLK - A Letter from Birmingham Jail essays

MLK - A Letter from Birmingham Jail essays Martin Luther King was often criticized by fellow clergymen for instigating violence through his demonstrations during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. King was jailed during one of these demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama. It was during this incarceration, that King found the time to express his views and frustrations with certain groups of people like the white moderate, other Blacks, and the white church leadership during this time period. He addresses this letter to his fellow clergymen called Letter from Birmingham Jail. Martin Luther King is frustrated with the white moderate person that prefers to ignore the situation of the Black community and prefers a negative peace over a positive peace which is the presence of justice (King 189). King views the white moderate as by-standers that believe that the tension is only present when the Negro community brings it to the surface (King 189). The white moderate community during the time of Kings letter felt perhaps King was wrong to demonstrate or fight for constitutional and human rights because it precipitated violence. The white moderate in this time period felt that these Black leaders should give the subject some time to let it work itself out in the communities. They felt that if the Black people were just a little bit patient, the racial issues would resolve themselves. King explains in his letter that time was the key. He explains that people with bad intentions were making the most of their time to promote their cause. They were actually using their time constructively instead of waiting for their time to come (King 190). King believed that time was of the essence in pursuing a vision and that time was tool to be used wisely and to be used now. King believed that God would help the person that helped themselves. He felt that too much time had already passed in delaying Black people their God-given ri...