King's Letter from Birmingham Jail may be an incredible philosophical and moral tract, but it would never happen if it were not for the police officers that forced him into this cell that he turned into a sanctuary.
Now King had been arrested plenty of times before April 12, 1963 and so has his colleagues Fred Shuttlesworth and Ralph Abernathy. Yet this was the moment that brought together the variables necessary for this document in the first place. First, you need to understand that the Civil Rights Movement had been fading from the American conscience by April 1963. An earlier protest in Albany, Georgia had not resulted in the public spectacle that King and SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Coalition) had hoped for, Police Sheriff Laurie Pritchett had wisely avoided the overt violence and hostility that had created so much public outrage in earlier events like the Freedom Rides or outside Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The movement needed a jolt of energy, an opportunity to reinvigorate the charge for change. Their answer was to look at Birmingham, Alabama. Why? Well to understand that, let us take a moment to really delve into the city whose actions in 1963 will ultimately shape American history.
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American history can easily fall in the trap of hero worship. No better example of this would be the Founding Fathers. Men like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton and Madison shaped our country and our principles. They our the Gods in our own creation myth and thus have been built as paragons of virtue, justice and freedom. Starting as early as the Parson Weems biography of George Washington where we famously learned the myths of "I cannot tell a lie", these men have become super humans over time even though during their lifetimes these mere mortals were inherently and deeply flawed. Few people get this mythical treatment after the American Revolution, notably Abraham Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt, but one man who undeniably has entered this category is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In fact, TIME Magazine was not subtle in placing King in that pantheon of demi-Gods. The problem is that, just like the Founding Fathers, separating the reality from the mythology of Dr. King's story is getting harder and harder with each subsequent generation.
Dealing with how King was perceived during his life is quite different than where he is today. In order to understand the Letter from Birmingham Jail, we must take the time to explore not just who is Martin Luther King Jr. but who people thought he was. We need to understand his story and his role in the American narrative in 1963 to better understand how both of these things have changed over time and therefore the significance of "the Letter" has changed. So let's begin... Well last summer was busy for me.
I embarked on a journey and while it was mainly a labor of love, I was still happy with the results. I was able to get great guest commentaries, comments from students and overall tried to model what I think a social science examination of material could and frankly should look like. While I led the charge, I know that I am not the purveyor of all knowledge, hopefully this project will continue to be more of a dialogue than a monologue. Hopefully we will continue to produce quality work and expand the skills of analysis, reflection and synthesis to the world outside of the classroom. Of course, this remains the goal...the reality is up to all of us and especially me as the role model of how to tackle some heavy topics. Last year we examined one of the most influential and important documents in American history, the Declaration of Independence. For my next venture, I had some thoughts about how to approach things in 2017. `1. This time I wanted to choose an incredibly written document that is not as well known. I mean everyone knows the Declaration of Independence and the context is almost canonized. I wanted to pick something that is not as mainstream but still accessible and relevant to our society. 2. I wanted something from more recent memory, if I stay in the 1700s forever then it hinders some of the modern day connections we can make. 3. I wanted to choose a document not written by a politician for variety sake and one that was not as legalistic and debated/bargained over like the Declaration of Independence. 4. I wanted something that would evoke emotions and discussions. So this year this website will be focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from Birmingham Jail. I know that this announcement would have been better yesterday on the federal holiday but I just recently decided to start this endeavor now instead of just in June. That being said, I will not be able to contribute as much during the heart of the school year as I can the summer months but I hope that when I do contribute it will still be up to the expectations I have set forth for the website. In the meantime, here is what YOU can do. 1. Read the letter, it's not short but it is not particularly long either. Here is the link. 2. Volunteer to contribute a guest article for this site. You can discuss a particular passage, an overall theme, dissect the word choice/syntax/etc. or find connections to your own passions/lives/disciplines/the world at large. In truth, you have a great deal of range to write your contribution to this tapestry of learning. 3. Start the discussion online and in real life. Let's have a great year world! |
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