MANUSCRIPT Conventions

The Term Paper must be typed from a computer. Use black print.
The Term Paper is a minimum of 7 to approximately a maximum of 12 double-spaced pages on 8.5 by 11-inch paper.
Do not use a title page.
Place your name in the left margin of the first page, an inch from the top.
Use the standard legible typeface such as Times New Roman, Ariel Narrow or Palatino. Acceptable type (font) sizes are 10 or 12 point.
Number all pages and use Arabic numerals (1, 2, etc.)
Use one-inch margins all around the page. Do not justify margins along the right; keep the right margins raggedy edged, like this page.
APA or MLA style is required. (Include citations) (BUT, you DO NOT need to include an abstract.)
Long quotations, those that extend beyond a fourth line, are forbidden. You should be able to keep most quotations brief quoting only what is essential.
Avoid slang, clichés, and pretentious diction.

Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and Civil Rights in America.
You may find a copy of King’s famous letter from this link offered by the University of Pennsylvania:

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

1) Offer a 1-2 page summary analysis of the background of King’s arrest in Birmingham in 1963. Why was he arrested? What were the circumstances and state of Civil Rights in the United States at that time?

2) Offer a 4-5 page analysis of Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. What is King attempting to do with this famous letter? What does he mean by “nonviolent direct action” and how it is to create a “tension” in a community. In other words, how is the Civil Rights movement going to “bring to the surface” a “hidden tension that is already alive?” What distinction does he make between just and unjust laws? How did media contribute to the civil rights movement in the 1960s? How does media contribute to the movement today?

3) Conclude your analysis (1-2 pages) with your personal reactions to this famous letter and offer a thoughtful commentary on the current state of Civil Rights in America. What are the current Civil Rights struggles? Feel free to use any additional sources for your essay. However, remember to properly cite those additional sources. (You may also incorporate your essay with a review from the film Other suggested film/documentary references include, from CNN’s series 1960s The Long March to Freedom and the PBS documentary John Lewis: Get in the way.