...The Letter from Birmingham Jail essay is about Dr. Martin Luther King as he addresses questions from the surrounding clergyman in the Birmingham area about his protest. Dr. Martin Luther King explains why he came to Birmingham to help his committee as well as to help desegregate the extreme divide community of Birmingham in an effort to bring justice to the world and bring the community together to stop segregation as a whole. The Letter from Birmingham Jail essay is about Dr. Martin Luther King answering the question to several clergyman. He first explains his reasoning for being in Birmingham in that he has to help his committee. Dr. King then addresses that he is trying to bring justice to the community of Birmingham through his non-violent protest. He also explain why his non-violent methods are very efficient in role of stopping segregation. He also answers the to the protest being untimely as he explains the committee’s effort to wait for the perfect time so they can captivate the community but they could no longer wait any longer the conditions in the African-American community are dangerous and a threat to the society alone. Dr. King then states the segregation is an unjust because a majority group makes a minority group follow rules but these rules are not binding. King also explains just laws in that it is man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God and uplifts personality while, an unjust law is out of harmony with moral law and it degrades...
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...King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", civil disobedience is shown throughout King's actions. King's peaceful protest movements showed resistance to several negative impacts of injustice. In the essay, King states that although Alabama clergymen were criticizing his actions, his argument was...
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...Lloyd Wyse Melissa Hull EN 209-014 April 18, 2012 Critical Essay: Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is the active refusal to comply with certain laws or demands of a government, such as paying fines or taxes. Although it is not necessarily on-violent, it has classically been attributed to nonviolent resistance. The etymological origin of the term is from Henry David Thoreau’s essay Resistance to Government, written in 1849, which was eventually renamed to Essay on Civil Disobedience. Since its republication in 1866, Thoreau’s essay has inspired many important activists over the course of history. Its messages have resonated within countless people unsatisfied or disgusted with the law of the land; one of the most prominent lessons it teaches is that an unjust government can only be corrected by the defiance of its people. As long as there is an imperfect government, there will be a need for civil disobedience. Citizens of nations from all over the globe still read and learn from Civil Disobedience because even in modern times a perfect government does not exist. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau prompts the reader to take direct action against injustice. He argues that the government is a representative of corruption and injustice that, like a machine, fuels the enabling of its wrongdoings through enforcement of law. He states that an individual’s silent compliance with the law is essentially the same as cooperation with injustices that the lawmaker commits. In particular...
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...significant for the equality of people. After the abolition of slavery in 1853, there had been a continuous conflict between the races of people who lived in the United States. In the United States there have been and still are many hate groups. Many think that after the civil rights movement African Americans and whites people got along perfectly; however, there are many stories on how white people have been disgracing African Americans. There were many types of protesting during this time. Some protest involved violent and some involved non-violent protesting. Many influential people were here at the time such as: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. There were also many hate groups at the time that tried to erase the African American population. During this time there were many rights that were violated during the civil rights movement. Many amendments were also made to stop the segregation such as the 14th and 15th amendment. The civil rights movement was a mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States that came to national prominence during the mid-1950s. This was in the roots of centuries-long efforts of African slaves. (Carson, 2015) The south was worse than the north about how this. The civil rights movement was about of the Jim Crow laws. These laws gave certain restrictions to African Americans. These laws segregated the whites and the blacks. They would have different types of bathroom and water fountains...
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...Michael Dalton Humphries Professor Breedlove English 2131 28 September 2011 The Fight against Social Injustices Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther king both stood up and fought against social injustices. Thoreau wrote his essay “Civil Disobedience” to express his views on the role of government. Thoreau also expressed his ideas about what men should do to stand up to a government that sought to suppress its citizens. King started reading Thoreau during his school years and adopted his non-violent ways of protest. He molded his actions around Thoreau’s essay and fought for equal rights for the African American community. Both authors sought peaceful means to protest against things they deemed social injustices. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and King’s “Letters from a Birmingham Jail” they present the problems with current societies and a peaceful way to bring those problems to the forefront. Thoreau and King both show their selflessness when they sacrificed their personal freedom for an issue. Thoreau was thrown in jail for not paying a poll tax. He refused to pay the tax because; he did not support slavery and the Mexican America war. Although Thoreau’s views in “Civil Disobedience” were his own and he was not trying to push them on anyone, they obviously had a profound impact on Martin Luther King. Writer Michael Mink of Investors Business Daily said this about King, “He was fascinated by the idea of refusing to cooperate with...
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...African colonialism During the years of 1870s and 1900s the idea of colonialism sparked. The European industrial revolution was a time that Europeans were forced to find additional resources and placement for the surplus of people that were not as fortunate as the rich capitalist in Europe. Poverty and homelessness were on the rise due to the surplus of people that couldn’t be absorbed in the system. The Europeans thought to solve the economic issue by migrating to Africa to acquire colonies and export sources, such as raw materials. The settlers set up colonies in parts South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. This led to a movement called “scramble for Africa”. Africa was divided for control of people, power, resources and goods. The “Scramble for Africa” is an example of colonialism. The European countries of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium came into Africa to try to expand their territory and exploit the African people. The new borders created during the Berlin conference would force the indigenous people to share citizenship with other ethnic groups and governments. These borders still remain. To prevent wars and conflict between the Europeans and the indigenous people, treaties were created. (Wikipedia, 2014). The Berlin conference, initiated by Otto von Bismarck, laid down ground rules for the participating countries to even out competition and decrease chances of conflict amongst themselves. After the country was divided, treaties...
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...but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” This statement rang true in the minds of two figures, Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr., both of whom fought the injustices of their times. Thoreau, nearing the mid-1800s, lived on the cusp of the Mexican-American War, which he protested heavily against as he believed it to be a plot to extend slavery. Dr. King on the other hand was in the heart of the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1960s, objecting the oppression of African-American lives with unrestrained fervor. In Thoreau’s “Resistance to Civil Government” and Dr. King’s “Letter to Birmingham City Jail” they shared comparable principles, since they both fought against the unjust actions of their era by their preparedness to go to jail for their views and by informing their reader the significance of fighting for what they believe to be right. Firstly, in both essays they wrote about how they...
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...(Soomo, 2013). He was a world leader that led by example. In this essay I will give an example of a political and a social change created by Gandhi’s teaching. To begin with Gandhi’s background, as a young adult in London, he trained as a barrister according to Sohail (2005). Sohail identified that Gandhi soon discovered a disliking for the busy lifestyle, high standard of living, and expense of the city. Even though he only spent a few years in London, it really shaped his simple living views that he would live his entire life by. His next big adventure was in South Africa. Sohail stated that Gandhi became a leader with the Indian National Congress and fought for equality. He was a leader in the Indian community. According to Lal (2012), Gandhi practiced Satyagraha, the practice of non-violent resistance, to make political points without violence. It was also here that he organized small self-sufficient communities, Lal described. Gandhi led others by his own example. I believe this is why he was so influential. He didn’t just tell the public how change should occur; he showed the people how it occurred and the importance of the change. Most leaders of that time demanded obedience, or else severe punishment followed. Gandhi’s approach forever changed the world socially and politically. The most significant political change that occurred as a result of Gandhi’s actions was the teaching of non-violence when dealing with political control and conflict. After the...
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...In the essay “Letter from Birmingham jail”, written by Martin Luther King Jr., was written to eight clergy men, doing a non-violent protest ,encourage those against segregation, trying to convince that he is right and change needed to occur. Throughout the letter Martin Luther King Jr. appeal to reason, emotion, and character. When he starts his letter he says, “MY DEAR FELLOW CLERGYMEN” (72). He starts his letter right away, appealing to character. With this being said, he sounds like he wants to do a nonviolent protest against them, but he wants his voice to be heard, but not violently. He used clever words to start off the letter. He doesn’t separate blacks from whites, showing that they both are the same, no discrimination, and no segregation. He wanted everyone to be treated equally. He was against the fact that everyone was racist in Birmingham. Another quote to support his character is when he said “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.” In this quote he is describing the role he plays in the religious community. With this being said, it shows that he is equal with the eight clergymen and can share of sort of relationship with them. His desire is to stop injustice, showing credibility with the white...
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...Evaluation Model Essay Kevin Jackson CJA/385 April 06, 2016 Professor: Lois Fegan Evaluation Model Essay In this essay, I will select an evaluation model that I believe is most applicability and relevance to criminal justice policy today. I will also summarize the model that I have chosen and provided analysis and explanation for my choice. The two models of the criminal justice system are created by a professor named Herbert L. Packer in 1964 at Sanford University, and these two models are "Crime Control Model" and the "Due Process Model." To understand and comprehend what these two models processes are that Professor Parker created for the criminal justice system, we must first define their meaning. Crime Control Model- Refer to a theory of criminal justice which places emphasis on reducing the offense in society through increased police and prosecutorial powers (Us Legal 2016). Due Process Model- Is a type of justice system which based on the principle that a citizen has some absolute rights and cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards (Us Legal 2016). Summary The crime control model believes that to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens in society, the best course of action would be to expand both the police and prosecutors department in law enforcement. This model belief that stricter, harsher, punishment will ultimately reduce crime. Here...
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...“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality” (Desmond Tutu). Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. were two men who were very passionate in what they believed in. Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, and historian. He is well-known for his essay “Civil Disobedience”, where he expresses the need for more people to be individuals and think and act on what they believe in. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist in the civil rights movement. King was known for his writing, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” where he, similar...
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...Essay #3 Compare/Contrast Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” with Aung San Suu Kyi’s excerpts “From In Quest of Democracy.” The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is known in today’s society as peaceful civil rights leader. In 1957, he led a boycott against the city’s bus lines due to the segregation laws. The result of this boycott was the desegregation of the bus line. That boycott was a non-violent protest in which the blacks within that city refused to ride the bus until change was made. King’s group held seminar’s teaching nonviolence starting out by saying “Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?” “Are you able to endure the ordeals of jail?” (205 RTW) Reverend King was well versed in philosophy and practiced nonviolent civil disobedience, so much so that when a judge ordered an unconstitutional injunction forbidding King and others from protesting, he defied them and was arrested and jailed. While in jail he wrote “Letter from Birmingham City Jail”, he was unable to send it out himself so he had it smuggled out of the jail. His letter was an eloquently written letter using examples from our past to show that it is not nonviolent protests that should be illegal but those actions of the ones in charge of law and order who us abuse their power by beating, spraying hoses, and arresting the peaceful protesters trying to make positive change in our country. His letter explains that as a man of God he doesn’t understand the white clergy of the city...
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...change, and others with no outcome. This protest makes an impact. It makes people think about why, and causes them to understand magnitude of ones peaceful actions. This form of protest is positive for our society. It is not harming anyone physically, and shows that people want change. Civil Disobedience directly aligns with freedom of speech and our American freedoms to have unique thoughts and opinions. In the constitution it is stated that Americans have the right to protest something that goes against their personal values, or they feel goes against the constitution. In addition, it is a major enlightenment ideal. During the formation of our country, and our Constitution, there was a time of enlightenment. France and Haiti were also going through revolutions. Many thinkers such as Adam Smith, John Locke, and even Thomas Jefferson were encouraging revolution, and governments for the people. All were backed by the ideals of protest when necessary....
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...crowds are now so widely acknowledged that crowd behaviour and its management is considered just as much the concern of public safety as it is the realm of academia. The prevalence of reports of negative crowd behaviour may suggest that the media presents a distorted view of crowd behaviour; non-aggressive pro-social crowds do not result in such attention grabbing headlines. The lack of aggression evident in many everyday crowds, for example spectators of tennis matches illustrate that crowds are not fundamentally aggressive but incredibly diverse. To understand the nature of crowd behaviour is therefore to question the underlying assumption that a “mind of the crowd” even exists. Such an assumption suggests a hegemonic, mystified view of collective behaviour in which the role of the individual disappears. This essay seeks to “demystify” the crowd by understanding the crowds as a specific form of collective action, distinguishing the crowd from other social groups by its larger size, specificity of location, density of persons and the notion of acting in a socially cohesive manner. In viewing the crowd as a specific form of group behaviour rather than a specifically unique phenomenon this essay seeks to emphasise that individual and group identities remain integral to crowd action which usually remains rational and norm-governed. Early theorists such as LeBon, Allport and McDougall...
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...Eduardo Ortiz-Montelongo English 1A: Essay #1 Professor Gomez 28 September 2010 Both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. were goal-oriented leaders. Gandhi desired self-rule for India. King wanted first class citizenship for African Americans. Instead of separating religion and politics, both men incorporated both in their leadership roles. Both men chose nonviolence as their strategy because they had felt that it was the only practical solution capable of achieving their objectives. The ideas of nonviolent movements were difficult to achieve, but they were not impossible to accomplish which is shown in the work of these two great leaders Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Two men from two different time periods but yet they have the same views on how to establish a nonviolent movement. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. were civil right activists who took a form of action to obtain equal rights amongst their society. The way they handled nonviolent situations was by taking a non direct action. Also the sacrifice that they had to go through whether it had been by being passive resistance or simply by injustice laws that had to be broken. Gandhi developed his theory of Satyagraha (“soul force”), which implicates social justice through love as well as suffering the consequences. Having to read two distinct stories at distinct time they both manage to have something in common which is CHANGE. We end with MLK- demanding that the actions for equal rights will be...
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