Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

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Segregation: the act of setting someone apart from others. This is the way the southern United States lived for hundreds of years. In the 1960s—even after desegregation laws were passed—Birmingham, Alabama, remained one of the most racist places in the US. Protesters were assaulted, young children of color could not attend school despite laws preventing academic segregation being passed, and people of color were arrested and murdered daily. However, a small group of people led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. protested against this, peacefully. The government obtained a court order to stop all protests, but these peaceful groups ignored it, for they believed it to be unjust. King eventually was arrested on April 12th, and while in prison, wrote …show more content…
While talking about nonviolent campaigns, King states that, “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known.” (5). This, even today, is a well-known fact. King uses non-absolute language like “probably” to make it seem less personal towards the clergymen and perhaps prevent counters and arguments against his statement. Also, this shows that the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who has traveled all over the United States campaigning, thinks that Birmingham is extremely violent and the most segregated. What better way to retaliate against violence than with nonviolence? In addition, King writes about the impact of his protests and says, “If this philosophy had not emerged, by now many streets of the South would, I am convinced, be flowing with blood.” (18). This absolutely grotesque image proves a point: without peaceful protesting, other groups would cause violence. The very thing King got arrested for, protesting (albeit peacefully), is the same thing preventing the South from becoming a desperate land of bloodshed. The work King is doing, the word of nonviolence he spreads to other protesters, is absolutely essential to the advancement of civil rights and the protection of
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