As I mentioned above, Dr. Martin Luther King's famous letter from the
Birmingham Jail was written in response to an item that was published
in the Birmingham News.
"...a letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King when he was imprisoned
in the jail in Birmingham, Alabama in April of 1963. He wrote the
letter in the margins of a newspaper because he was denied any paper
or pen to compose a letter on his own. He wrote the letter in response
to a letter that had appeared in the Birmingham News that was entitled
'White Clergymen Urge Local Negroes to Withdraw from Demonstrations.'
The letter was typed and published outside the prison throughout the
country and has been considered to be the manifesto of the civil
rights movement led by Dr. King."
Sheridan School District: Evaluation
http://www.sheridank12.org/aristotlerhetoric/Eval.htm
Here is the text of the clergymen's letter, as published in the
Birmingham News, April 12, 1963:
"We the undersigned clergymen are among those who, in January, issued
'An Appeal for Law and Order and Common Sense,' in dealing with racial
problems in Alabama. We expressed understanding that honest
convictions in racial matters could properly be pursued in the courts,
but urged that decisions of those courts should in the meantime be
peacefully obeyed.
Since that time there had been some evidence of increased forbearance
and a willingness to face facts. Responsible citizens have undertaken
to work on various problems which cause racial friction and unrest. In
Birmingham, recent public events have given indication that we all
have opportunity for a new constructive and realistic approach to
racial problems.
However, we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some
of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders. We
recognize the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes
are slow in being realized. But we are convinced that these
demonstrations are unwise and untimely.
We agree rather with certain local Negro leadership which has called
for honest and open negotiation of racial issues in our area. And we
believe this kind of facing of issues can best be accomplished by
citizens of our own metropolitan area, white and Negro, meeting with
their knowledge and experience of the local situation. All of us need
to face that responsibility and find proper channels for its
accomplishment.
Just as we formerly pointed out that 'hatred and violence have no
sanction in our religious and political traditions,' we also point out
that such actions as incite to hatred and violence, however
technically peaceful those actions may be, have not contributed to the
resolution of our local problems. We do not believe that these days of
new hope are days when extreme measures are justified in Birmingham.
We commend the community as a whole, and the local news media and law
enforcement in particular, on the calm manner in which these
demonstrations have been handled. We urge the public to continue to
show restraint should the demonstrations continue, and the law
enforcement official to remain calm and continue to protect our city
from violence.
We further strongly urge our own Negro community to withdraw support
from these demonstrations, and to unite locally in working peacefully
for a better Birmingham. When rights are consistently denied, a cause
should be pressed in the courts and in negotiations among local
leaders, and not in the streets. We appeal to both our white and Negro
citizenry to observe the principles of law and order and common sense.
Bishop C.C.J. Carpenter, D.D., LL.D., Episcopalian Bishop of Alabama
Bishop Joseph A. Durick, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop, Roman Catholic
Diocese of Mobile, Birmingham
Rabbi Milton L. Grafman, Temple Emanu-El, Birmingham, Alabama
Bishop Paul Hardin, Methodist Bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference
Bishop Nolan B. Harmon, Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the
Methodist Church
Rev. George M. Murray, D.D., LL.D, Bishop Coadjutor,Episcopal Diocese of Alabama
Rev. Edward V. Ramage, Moderator, Synod of the Alabama Presbyterian
Church in the United States
Rev. Earl Stallings, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama...
In response to this statement, Martin Luther King Jr. composed his
famous 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' to explain why he was active in
civil rights demonstrations - primarily the failure of the courts and
negotiation to address effectively the issue of civil rights."
The Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama
http://www.gale.com/pdf/samples/sp665940.pdf
I hope this is precisely what you're looking for. If it is not, or if
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Best regards,
pinkfreud |
