COMPARISON OF MLK'S LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL TO THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS AND JFK'S INAUGURAL SPEECH OF 1961

Martin Luther King's most well-known writing is his "Letter from Birmingham Jail." He began writing the lengthy essay while jailed over Easter weekend in 1963. He eventually arranged its publication as part of a public relations strategy to bring national attention to the struggle for civil rights in the South.

The Letter has become a modern classic. It has been called the most important written document of the civil rights era and has been compared to Abraham Lincoln’s "Gettysburg Address" and John Kennedy’s First Inaugural in its literary and historical significance.

 

FROM THE VIDEOS WE SAW OF THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS AND JFK'S SPEECH WHERE HE SAYS, "ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU, BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY." COMPARE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF MLK'S WORDS IN THE "LETTER." WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO YOU OF THE THREE. WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR ALL AMERICANS? GIVE YOUR REASONS.