Martin Luther King

During 1950s to 1960s, the United States was fighting wars in order to stop communism. The Vietnam War was one of them. It was a war between the North communist of Vietnam and the South non-communist of Vietnam. The United States sent supplies and soldiers to help the South Vietnam as communism was what it feared the most. However, simultaneously there was an inflation of social and anti-war movements especially the Civil Rights Movement which was led at that time by Reverend Dr Martin Luther King. The extract we are going to study is an extract from Dr Martin Luther King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech which was delivered on April 4th, 1967 at Riverside Church. It has been a turning point as he reveals the negative and immoral implications of the United States in that War. This controversial speech has somehow shocked his fellowmen too. It follows then that we may wonder why did Martin Luther King make the choice to speak out against United States involvement in Vietnam when he risked also to harm the Civil Right Movement?

First and foremost, the situation in United States is full of tensions and scars due to the various precedent wars namely the Civil War, World War I, World War II and hereby, it is about the Vietnam War. In fact, Martin Luther King clearly condemns the violence and the atrocities committed by the United States against Vietnam and the direct effect and consequences inflected upon the poor and black people.

“…the more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home.”
It sheds light on the fact that he understood the reality and the truth of the Vietnam war, in other words, it was indeed disastrous, dreadful and disillusionary mostly for the poor. About 58000 soldiers were severely wounded or died during that war. What’s more, he tries to convey to us the horrible reality of war through his oral skills and eloquence. The Vietnam war was supposed “to guarantee liberties” and to free the Vietnamese people from communism. Similarly, Black Americans believe that if they defended anti-communism abroad, they would receive it at home too. But these were only misconception and disillusion. Martin Luther King reveals that this disillusionment of reality is caused due to the false “hopes” that poor and black people have, as they believe that their lives will get better and that they will be glorified when they will be returning home after war. In addition, in today’s world, the scars of the Vietnam War also ironically known as the American war are still present in the Vietnam, it can be underlined through its deflation in economy and impoverishment.

Furthermore, it was about “sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions to the rest of the population.” It indicates that the horror of war is that most of the soldiers who died for their country were poor young men. They went on the battlefield either because they didn’t have the choice or because it was the only way to make some money as they were not wholly accepted as civil workers in their own country. For instance, during Reconstruction, the majority of Blacks were locked in their situations hence they were neither able to buy lands nor had the opportunity to move to the West because of the Black Codes that forbid Blacks to travel unless they have permission from their owner. Additionally, Martin Luther King ironically says that “black young men…crippled by our society” were sent too and were even among the best unit of the army and the reasons are that they were physically stronger and more efficient on the battlefield as they were used to heavy physical work on fields for example. A proud soldier does not lack confidence in general and it was a shame that White would belittle Black with servile attitude who have just fought for their country, the same country as theirs. Similarly, Martin Luther King could no longer bear the injustice and intolerance. He speaks out because he has had enough of remaining in silent while discrimination and oppression are still occurring in his country. That is the reason why he speaks at the Riverside Church; his intention is to ignite the mind of his fellowmen and supporters so that in turn they break the silence too and speak out in the name of the poor and black people facing injustice because of War. All he wants to do is to denounce the United States government.

Moreover, Martin Luther King makes the choice to speak out against United States involvement in Vietnam publicly because he cannot abide to the immorality presents behind war as it wholly goes against his convictions and his fight. He started his fight against apartheid in 1955 by joining the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People). There was a flow of events that took place in regard to the Civil Rights movement in United States, for instance, the Bus Boycott was to protest their discontentment about segregation in transport and in fact, this initial protest later has led to the declaration that segregated school and segregated bus were considered as unconstitutional. By 1964, several Civil Act Rights were passed, and segregation was declared as illegal through the state. Similarly, Martin Luther King, being head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, in his speech, he evokes the linked channel between civil rights and peace and how people cast doubt it: “Peace and civil rights don’t mix, they say”. His convictions are that civil rights need to be obtained genuinely and that is neither by force nor by taking part in violent actions. Just like Blacks have suffered and are suffering for their liberty and freedom, the innocent and the voiceless of Vietnam are suffering too because of disorder and lack of stability in their country, hence he suggests that it is unjust and unfair that they support such an awful war as it is leading to nowhere. The situation “greatly saddened” the Reverend and that is why he wants to clarify his real “commitment” and his “calling” through his oration skills in order to convince his supporters and also to denounce the real impact of the Vietnam War on United States and on their people.

What’s more, what is interesting in this extract is that Martin Luther King calls himself “a preacher of trade”. Being used to preaching, this time he strategically addresses directly to his “fellow Americans… who bear the greatest responsibility in ending a conflict”. The first-person possessive pronoun, ‘my’, before “fellow Americans” suggests that he is reinforcing his role as a leader and that just like they have responsibility, he also has the ‘responsibility’ to make them be aware of the real struggle of this war and the consequences that it undermines. Moreover, he says: “I have seven major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision… a connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America”. Ironically and tactfully, he says “seven major reasons” in this striking sentence as he knows that this will give him more creditability in front of his audience, hence it will be more easily stuck in his public’s mind at the Riverside Church. He is in fact making reference to the seven Sacraments as in Catholicism the sacraments are a means of getting “grace, whereby salvation comes”. Hence, he subtly indicates that if the Church joins the opposition of Jesus Christ’s teachings, notably the fact that war is “crippling the poor” in United States by sending an unbalanced and unequal number of them to war, this calamitous effect of war therefore foreshadows the opposition to the teaching of God. It is of no use to have Civil Rights if it is obtained through violence and hatred according to Dr Martin Luther King. Spirituality and morality are his practical and logical reasons to oppose war. His intention is to convince the Church to speak out in a united voice in order to denounce the injustice and cruelty of sustaining the unjust Vietnam War.

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