Discuss about Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Civil Rights in America.
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
a) Offer a 1-2 page summary analysis of the background of King’s arrest in Birmingham in 1963. Why was he arrested? What were the circumstances and state of Civil Rights in the United States at that time?
b) Offer a 4-5 page analysis of Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. What is King attempting to do with this famous letter? What does he mean by “nonviolent direct action” and how it is to create a “tension” in a community. In other words, how is the Civil Rights movement going to “bring to the surface” a “hidden tension that is already alive?” What distinction does he make between just and unjust laws? How did media contribute to the civil rights movement in the 1960s? How does media contribute to the movement today?
c) Conclude your analysis (1-2 pages) with your personal reactions to this famous letter and offer a thoughtful commentary on the current state of Civil Rights in America. What are the current Civil Rights struggles? Feel free to use any additional sources for your essay. However, remember to properly cite those additional sources. (You may also incorporate your essay with a review from the film )
