Reading and Response Paragraph
“The Declaration of independence” was authored in 1776, it is an integral article in the American history that was written by a committee comprising of five people, among them Thomas Jefferson. The document pays attention to the importance of defending citizens while justifying to the foreign nations that the colonies had separated from Great Britain by cutting ties and establishing their structures such as post office, and currency among others. “The Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written by Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), a civil rights advocate and Baptist Church Minister, in 1963, and focused on the essence of fighting for justice for the racial minorities through non-violent strategies. It was addressed to fellow clergymen who were supposed to oppose racial discrimination.
One of the rhetoric appeals evident in the two documents is logos. Logos focuses on the use of logical argument to persuade the audience. MLK used logic to persuade the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to play a proactive role in fighting racial discrimination because it was his ethical responsibility to ensure all people in the Southern states were equal. He approached the president through letter and tried to convince him that the geographical differences between the Northern states and the Southern States did not guarantee discrepancies in the treatment of people of diverse races in respective states. MLK had noted that the injustices facing the minority African Americans in Birmingham were similar to those witnessed in Atlanta; therefore, he demanded the clergy to take action to fight the vice. In “the Declaration of Independence”, Thomas Jefferson, along with other authors, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, John Adams, and Roger Sherman, found it necessary for colonies to run themselves independently since they were no longer attached to England or Great Britain. Jefferson persuades his audience by justifying the importance of protecting the rights of the colonies because the rights of the people could not be taken away from them.
One of the memorable quotes by MLK is that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” (King 2). This is an interesting quote because the fight for equality among all the races o irrespective of their gender or religion has been a struggle that has taken so long. Efforts to guarantee equality have been progressive after the 13th and 15th amendments; however, the passing of Jim Crow laws in the South derailed the noble course resulting in the Civil Rights Movements, which MLK was a key participant. Among the exciting quotes by Jefferson in “the Declaration of Independence” is, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson 1). This is a fascinating quote because, despite the founding fathers having acknowledged the importance of equality for all citizens in 1776, 244 years later, equality among all Americans remains a dream. Some minority groups, such as the LGBTQ, are still fighting equality. Organizations such as BlackLivesMatter, are advocating for fairness by the white law enforcers when carrying out their jurisdiction since they find the African-Americans to be a target.
Both MLK and Jefferson advocated for the rights of the Americans irrespective of their background. To a certain extent, their visions have been realized. This is because most of the states have passed laws demanding for equality of all people. However, the implementation of these laws has not been effective, which has made their visions not to be realized. Besides, some leaders have been noted to make racially discriminating remarks that are mainly directed to Muslims, whom they associate with terrorism and radicalization. The present president, Trump, has made negative remarks against the Muslims, which has continued to fuel profiling in the 21st century. Nonetheless, success through empowering of women cannot be ignored. Therefore, to some extent, the vision has been achieved, but not fully realized.