In reading Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Prison” one thing kept resonating with me as I did. It was his pledge of nonviolence and the ten commandments he included with it (linked below). It spoke to a higher power of thinking. Dr. King knew the movement was bigger than any one man and spoke for over 100 years of misrepresentation of Colored Americans in the US, and that the main objective for this movement wasn’t victory but to showcase the brutality and injustice done upon Colored Americans. Dr. King was arrested for participating in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. The letter was in response to a public statement airing concern and caution by white religious leaders in the South. They characterized his actions as unwise and untimely, that it was the work of a coward. But I think it takes more courage to stand for what you believe in than to engage in the same unjust activities that are done against you. That to me is the true showing of a coward. Bending the knee in the face of adversity effectively discredits what you stand for and your movement.
As I concluded reading, another set of steps stuck in my brain, that according to Dr. King, classify a movement (specifically the Civil Rights movement) as non-violent. They are “the collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action”. This to me means that this movement is not only timely in the eyes of the public but incredibly wise in the eyes of the law. By allowing for these steps to be pursued and obtained legally, it shows that these protesters and activists were just in their movement in the eyes of the law. This shows not only patience and resolve (that is highlighted numerous times in this letter) but also courage and determination for the assertation of the truth and justice.
References:
https://cla.utexas.edu/coretexts/_files/resources/MLK_Commitment_Card.pdf
MLK’s pledge of non-violent protest is one of the things he is most remembered for. Despite the horrific treatment and violence he experienced, he always stayed peaceful and encouraged others to do so as well. Not only did this show resolve and determination as stated, but I think MLK’s reasoning behind this served an even bigger purpose. By staying peaceful, yet still receiving brutality and mistreatment, MLK was able to greatly accentuate the unjustness of how black people were being treated. If MLK resorted to violent methods, I don’t think he would have been as successful in illuminating these facts.
When reading through your post, I started to draw upon current events and create parallels between Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s actions with The Black Lives Matters movement. When you said, “But I think it takes more courage to stand for what you believe in than to engage in the same unjust activities that are done against you,” I realized that the marches held over this past year in memory of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the others murdered, exemplify this statement of courageous action. The looting of stores and rioting is the “coward” action, but the people who had true intentions of making change were the ones strong enough to peacefully protest and say their name. The coward action can also be in relation to those who stormed the Capitol building. Rather than legally creating a movement “in the eyes of the law”, they illegally and violently reacted in a COWARDLY manner with the wrong intentions. From your post and MLK’s “Letter” and non-violent protesting, I believe our society has much to reflect on with their inhumane and absurd actions since we know that it takes “courage and determination for the assertion of the truth and justice,” as you stated.
Dr. Martin Luther King was known for loving thy neighbor but also loving thy enemy. He was all for non-violence in the fact you do not have to attack your brother or sister with ammo. He believed that there was injustice and like you said facts to prove that there are injustices are alive and there needs to be direct action. It took a lot of courage not to fight back which made his enemies hate or question him even more because they wanted to fight , but Dr. King and his beliefs are the opposite of what they had been filled up with: anger. Believing in something alone and having courage to stand up for it by yourself is big. However, you start to notice that there are others who do have your back and the same beliefs and that is what he had then and what he has today, people believing that there needs to be peaceful action to fight injustice and change laws for the oppressed.
What particularly interested me when reading your post was the idea of a coward. The white men living in the south who used this word to define Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his actions, yet still believed that humans should be separated based on the color of their skin proved to be the cowards. MLK was not only standing up for the rights of black people in America, but he was also doing it in a peaceful way. He was able to gain support from black and white white who listened to him in his movement towards equal rights. This is clearly contrasting to the recent events at the Capitol. MLK encouraged his followers to speak out and make a difference lawfully, while our own President spoke of nonexistent fraud and amped his supporters up by saying they were going to “fight like hell”. To me, this approach is cowardly. It is hard to even compare the two because MLK’s peaceful movement had a valid motive and reason, while the raiding at the Capitol was over, quite literally, nothing. While there is clearly much more progression to be done in our country, MLK was able to indicate the power that peaceful protests can have through his role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Your post was very interesting and I enjoyed reading about how you were intrigued about the Ten Commandments and Dr. King’s pledge of nonviolence. I agree he knew this movement was bigger then just himself. Two of the Ten Commandments that I believe have a large part in the Civil Rights Movement is “You shall not commit murder” and “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”. Both of these commandments fit into Dr. King’s nonviolence speech. The Commandments talk about not murdering people and to not lie or treat others badly. MLK taught his followers to keep peace and to show love. Dr. King still has an impact on today’s world. He always talked about standing up for what is right and to keep peace. He was treated so badly but Dr. King always responded peacefully. There has been a lot that has taken place this past year with social problems. As a country we need to revisit what MLK and his followers fought so hard for.
Hi,
I really liked your mention of the overarching goal of Dr. King’s movement. It was an ongoing movement to which he spent his whole life aiming to demonstrate that equality is rapid in the united states, causing extreme discrimination and resulting in brutality and injustice. I agree with your statement that it takes courage to stand for what you believe in, but also willpower, as it is very hard to not respond aggressively to unjust and harmful situations you were put in.
I thought your post was very interesting and I liked how you placed emphasis on King’s ideals and beliefs that strengthened the Civil Rights Movement. His stance on the importance of nonviolence within the movement was crucial and inspiring. I also agreed with how you highlighted the fact that King was not afraid to stand up for a matter he believes in. To me, this was an exemplary trait that Martin Luther King Jr. possessed. He did what many during such a difficult time were too afraid and unwilling to do: speak up for what he believed in. King persevered through the face of adversity and by doing so, inspired an entire movement. His determination has inspired countless others and continue to impact individuals nearly sixty years after “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written.
Great context presentation about Martin Luther King. I really enjoyed the fact that you put great importance on Dr. King’s mindset that the events that were taking place at the time could only be resolved as a whole, not by one man. I believe this was very significant in growing the movement and allowing it to become more powerful and gain more traction. Furthermore, your mention of courage in participating in these movements is absolutely correct because it is not easy to go up against the government and the social norms at the time.
Your post was very interesting and I liked how you kept an eye on the bigger picture about Dr. King’s movement and what his overall goal was. I also appreciated how you said that Dr. King led an almost all peaceful movement, which I believe to be a very important fact.
Your context post was very well written and intriguing. What interested me the most about your post was the perspective was the white men in the south who thought his actions were cowardly, even though it was quite the opposite. Dr.King risked everything to stand up for something he believed in. Tackling an injustice like that, and being the face of the movement, is no easy task. The willpower Dr. King showed during this movement is second to none. I think these protest can be compared to the black lives matter protests we saw earlier this year. Many people think the fight for equality is over, but that isn’t the case. It has been shown time and time again that certain groups in America simply aren’t treated equally or fairly due to the color of their skin. Although many people think of their actions as cowardly, putting yourself in harms way to amplify a movement you believe in is the opposite. These actions are similar to the civil rights movement and the actions of Dr. King. All in all, I think that Dr. King made tremendous progress in the right direction for America, but there is much more work to be done.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s innovative steps in expressing a form of nonviolent protest created a way of communicating a larger issue that needs attention. MLK was passionate about making a difference and standing in what he believed. Speaking in regards to the Civil Rights movement, MLK showed that people can speak out for what they believe without coming to violence. After reading your post, I could only think about the protests that have happened over the last year. The Black Lives Matter movement sparked the equality issues that are happening in the United States. Participating in peaceful protest provides individuals a way to spark a movement and get others talking about the situation. MLK’s efforts created a baseline for others to build on what he started and believed in. Being able to stand up for what you believe in and have people back you up helps continue MLK’s efforts.
I appreciate how your brought MLK’s religious foundation into the conversation. Dr. King was after all a reverend with a degree in Theology. This letter is written after all with religious leaders in mind. It is a call for those leaders to re-examine views, words, and actions in a Christian context. In current social conversations it is similar to asking Religious leaders and Politicians that identify themselves as Christians- ‘what would Jesus do?’ The words you use “higher power of thinking” reminded me of these aspects. MLK was inspired by Mahatma Gandi and Jesus in messages of non-violence and having love and compassion for everyone. All three ask us to transcend day to day worldly thoughts into a the bigger picture of reality that provides us with a moral compass to guide our actions (higher power thinking).
Although he was not the first non-violent protest leader, Martin Luther King definitely left his mark on American history. He is celebrated each year to remind us of what a true leader acts like. Even when the odds were stacked so heavily against him, he stood up for what he believed in and was not afraid to challenge the system. This has been a pattern in American history, challenging the norms and living up to the status “free country.” The U.S. still has a long way to go, but it is inspiring to see how far we have come. It is leaders like Martin Luther King who have and will change the world. People who do not wish to conquer others as they stand up for their beliefs, but make themselves heard in hopes of the acceptance and support of others who may not share the same hardships or beliefs.
I enjoyed this presentation and found it very interesting. I’m sure that a lot of us have learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and his actions in school before, but I felt that this context presentation evaluated the basis of which his actions took place. In my opinion the thought of King’s actions being cowardly are very ridiculous. I agree that MLK displayed a tremendous amount of courage by being willing to stand up for what he believed in. He was not worried about what others would think about his actions, however he knew that him taking action and a stand against racism and injustice were necessary no matter what it ended up costing him. Additionally, he was able to accomplish so much all while encouraging peaceful protest and unity. In my opinion that is one of the most courageous acts a person can take, and is part of the reason why he is such a recognizable figure decades after his death.
The civil rights movement is one of the most important moments in the history of the United States, and Martin Luther King Jr was an extremely important part of it. Perhaps the most important part of his contribution to the movement was his pledge to nonviolence, as it demonstrated that change could be forced without causing anyone harm. I completely agree that the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in his letter was very important, as they give a basis for his non-violent stance. The most important one in this case is the ninth commandment, “you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” as it gives a calling to treat others as you would like to be treated. This was the whole point of the civil rights movement, so that everyone of all races would be treated with respect and dignity. To rise above the behavior of the white religious leaders was a very noble thing to do and increase the strength and validity of the point Dr. King was trying to make. I think you have made a great point about this letter and have a great analysis.
Firstly, I would like to say that your post spoke volumes to me. Anyone can make a presentation of the information that they have gathered, yet you included the right words to speak to people. One thing that I would like to point out after reading your post and learning about Dr. King is the nonviolence piece. Dr. King was arrested for, undoubtedly, an unreasonable mentality. While he stood by his pledge of nonviolence and his ten commandments, the authorities did the complete opposite. They showed violence to the other ethnicities, even though they did not show the same violence or bad tongue to them. I agree that Dr. King showed great courage when the others in his community judged him for not cowering to the authorities that showed no equality.
I totally agree with your statement that non-violent protest plays a pivotal role in pursuing people’s rights. The reason for this is that when people treated illegally, we should protest legally. Dr.King must be arrested for illegal, but he still insisted peacefully protest to fight it back. When authority judged black inequality, Dr.King still insisted nonviolence, which was really honorable.
I found your post very interesting, especially the statement about the ten commandments and Dr. King’s movement being bigger than any one man. Although I’m not a Christian myself, the values of the ten commandments can be morally applicable to all people. Him using this and peacefully fighting against the injustices and trying to avoid violence put him on the moral high ground. While the opposotion used violence and unfair treatment, he advocated for non violence and ulitmately his moral superiority won the battle.