Letter from a Birmingham Jail and The Declaration of Individualism

Letter from a Birmingham Jail and The Declaration of Individualism

Although the time periods and goals may be different the method for

bringing about change is usually the same, this method is protest. This method

is supported by two different people, in two different time periods, with two

different goals; these two people are Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King

Junior.

Martin Luther King Junior's letter from a Birmingham Jail was an

expression of his encouragement for protest against tradition and established

laws and a justification for his actions. King, a leader of a civil-rights

group that supported protest against traditional views, encouraged protesting

against tradition and established laws that are unjust. In his letter from

Birmingham Jail King states:

"It was illegal to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am

sure that, had I lived in Germany at that time, I would have aided and comforted

my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain

principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate

disobeying that country's anti-religious laws."

This excerpt shows that King encourages protest because in some situations he

deems it necessary, be it in Hitler's Germany, a Communist country, or any

situation in which injustices are occurring. In the last sentence of the

excerpt King openly admits that he would protest against established laws or

traditions. King was against the traditional views and unjust laws, which

discriminated against him and his fellow people. He felt that the only way that

these unjust laws and traditional beliefs would ever change would be by means

of protest. He felt that without protest the laws and traditions would remain

the same forever. Along with encouraging protest, King's letter was also a

justification of his actions. The letter was written to his fellow clergymen to

explain his prior actions and to attempt to justify them. In the letter he

tried to explain to the clergy that his actions although illegal were justified

and appropriate for the situation. He expressed that he exhausted every other

option possible and direct action was the only available option left, which

could make a difference.

Similarly to King's letter from Birmingham Jail, The Declaration of

Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson to encourage the protest of

established laws and justify possible actions. But unlike King, Jefferson also

encouraged individualism in his declaration. His views are distinctly stated in

the first sentence of The Declaration of Independence:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to

dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to