This is where our daily reactions to the readings will be posted. Also, we will be able to reply to each other and continue discussions outside of class.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Monday
Post here on the essays by Lincoln and MLK about the nature and basis of rights.
4 comments:
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Journal #7 Birmingham Jail
In response to Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” I completely understand his argument saying that an unjust law is no law at all. Unlike some of his fellow civil right activists’ actions, Martin Luther King Jr. attempted to obtain his goals from non-violent methods and always doing the right thing, which is commendable. Based on the actions of others, I was surprised that some of his fellow clergy men referred to him as extreme. In everything I’ve ever heard of Martin Luther King, I have never heard of him being anything but moderate. Also, I reading something his letter that I never expected. I never thought about parents having to tell their black children that they were basically not good enough to go to the white amusement parks. Having to tell a child that seems like it would completely demoralize the child and give him an extreme sense of inferiority. I was amazed to read that Martin Luther King believes that the white moderates were more dangerous to his cause then the organizations such as the Klu Klux Klan. The white moderates that Martin Luther King are speaking of are not killing black people and putting fear in ever black citizen like the KKK was doing at the time. In conclusion, I feel that Martin Luther King’s fight is different than most social protest movements of today. Unlike most protests of today, Martin Luther King was fighting for the basic rights of people whose opinions were not heard. Also, he did not use terrorist activities to reach his goals.
You know, I think you are quite right about the "Funland" story; I find that much more affecting than the other images he brings up like the police dogs and fire hoses. Somehow, having to tell your daughter that colored people aren't aloud to go to Funland is much worse than the mistreatment by police.
I think King's point about the lukewarm liberals being more dangerous to his cause than the KKK makes perfect sense when you consider his political problem. There had been fairly large majorities in favor of basic civil rights for blacks for sometime, the problem had been getting it through the Senate and the various procedural roadblocks put up by the US political system's basic design (remember Madison).
In fact, if anything, the KKK was doing his cause a favor in that the KKK was unpopular. It was the white moderate block that kept urging a go slow strategy.
Finally, the preachers that King was resonding to had a point as well, political. Once again, we know how the story ended, with King as a national hero, but at the begining he was seen as someone breaking a law, albeit ones that a majority of people saw as unjust.
Martin Luther King Jr. believed as many African Americans did at this time that all men and women no matter their skin color should have the equal rights that the US constitution entitled them to. His comparisons of the current racial situations in Birmingham to Jews in Germany during the Holocaust are, in my opinion, very closely related. It was illegal to help Jewish people during this time but many people that believed the laws were unjust did what they believed to be right. African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement broke laws. They did not break laws that did not relate to their goal which was freedom. They did what they believed to be right in order to reach their goal and if people did not break laws to accomplish what they believed to be right, half of the world would probably still belong to the British. I believe it took a lot of courage to be one of the African Americans to perform a sit-in or march at a demonstration after hearing or witnessing a brutal attack on the ones that came before them. They watched dogs attack their friends, watched mothers and fathers go to jail and watched beatings and yet they were still brave enough to morally fight for what they believe in. Those men and women are the unspoken heroes of the era.
I can't imagine how hard it must be to tell your own child that they are not good enough to go to a theme park or anywhere for that matter because of there race and color. This letter by Martin Luther King Jr. really brings up a lot of issues that were a big issue then in his time and even still somewhat of an issue today, such as racism. I to have to agree with what a lot of other people have posted, in that I to believe that having to tell your child that they aren't good enough to be accepted somewhere because of there race would be far more damaging then being harassed with dogs or fire hoses. Mainly because they could escape and get away from the dogs and hoses even if they suffered some physical beatings from the police, however there is no getting away from or changing your race. That is something they would always have to live with, and it has to be much harder to be happy with yourself and accept yourself for who you are if no one else does because of your race.
I was really shocked to read that Dr. King was more afraid of the white moderates then the KKK, because he felt that the white moderates were a bigger threat to his cause then the KKK. Which I found to be very surprising since the KKK was a really racist group that would do what every they could to take out powerful African American leaders. These days and times, you don't see many people be leaders and not use some type of violence. That's why it's so amazing that Dr. King was able to accomplish what he did without any type of violence.
4 comments:
Journal #7
Birmingham Jail
In response to Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” I completely understand his argument saying that an unjust law is no law at all. Unlike some of his fellow civil right activists’ actions, Martin Luther King Jr. attempted to obtain his goals from non-violent methods and always doing the right thing, which is commendable. Based on the actions of others, I was surprised that some of his fellow clergy men referred to him as extreme. In everything I’ve ever heard of Martin Luther King, I have never heard of him being anything but moderate.
Also, I reading something his letter that I never expected. I never thought about parents having to tell their black children that they were basically not good enough to go to the white amusement parks. Having to tell a child that seems like it would completely demoralize the child and give him an extreme sense of inferiority.
I was amazed to read that Martin Luther King believes that the white moderates were more dangerous to his cause then the organizations such as the Klu Klux Klan. The white moderates that Martin Luther King are speaking of are not killing black people and putting fear in ever black citizen like the KKK was doing at the time.
In conclusion, I feel that Martin Luther King’s fight is different than most social protest movements of today. Unlike most protests of today, Martin Luther King was fighting for the basic rights of people whose opinions were not heard. Also, he did not use terrorist activities to reach his goals.
You know, I think you are quite right about the "Funland" story; I find that much more affecting than the other images he brings up like the police dogs and fire hoses. Somehow, having to tell your daughter that colored people aren't aloud to go to Funland is much worse than the mistreatment by police.
I think King's point about the lukewarm liberals being more dangerous to his cause than the KKK makes perfect sense when you consider his political problem. There had been fairly large majorities in favor of basic civil rights for blacks for sometime, the problem had been getting it through the Senate and the various procedural roadblocks put up by the US political system's basic design (remember Madison).
In fact, if anything, the KKK was doing his cause a favor in that the KKK was unpopular. It was the white moderate block that kept urging a go slow strategy.
Finally, the preachers that King was resonding to had a point as well, political. Once again, we know how the story ended, with King as a national hero, but at the begining he was seen as someone breaking a law, albeit ones that a majority of people saw as unjust.
Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King Jr. believed as many African Americans did at this time that all men and women no matter their skin color should have the equal rights that the US constitution entitled them to. His comparisons of the current racial situations in Birmingham to Jews in Germany during the Holocaust are, in my opinion, very closely related. It was illegal to help Jewish people during this time but many people that believed the laws were unjust did what they believed to be right. African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement broke laws. They did not break laws that did not relate to their goal which was freedom. They did what they believed to be right in order to reach their goal and if people did not break laws to accomplish what they believed to be right, half of the world would probably still belong to the British.
I believe it took a lot of courage to be one of the African Americans to perform a sit-in or march at a demonstration after hearing or witnessing a brutal attack on the ones that came before them. They watched dogs attack their friends, watched mothers and fathers go to jail and watched beatings and yet they were still brave enough to morally fight for what they believe in. Those men and women are the unspoken heroes of the era.
I can't imagine how hard it must be to tell your own child that they are not good enough to go to a theme park or anywhere for that matter because of there race and color. This letter by Martin Luther King Jr. really brings up a lot of issues that were a big issue then in his time and even still somewhat of an issue today, such as racism. I to have to agree with what a lot of other people have posted, in that I to believe that having to tell your child that they aren't good enough to be accepted somewhere because of there race would be far more damaging then being harassed with dogs or fire hoses. Mainly because they could escape and get away from the dogs and hoses even if they suffered some physical beatings from the police, however there is no getting away from or changing your race. That is something they would always have to live with, and it has to be much harder to be happy with yourself and accept yourself for who you are if no one else does because of your race.
I was really shocked to read that Dr. King was more afraid of the white moderates then the KKK, because he felt that the white moderates were a bigger threat to his cause then the KKK. Which I found to be very surprising since the KKK was a really racist group that would do what every they could to take out powerful African American leaders. These days and times, you don't see many people be leaders and not use some type of violence. That's why it's so amazing that Dr. King was able to accomplish what he did without any type of violence.
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