Antonio Gonzales

History
November 8, 2015
Freedom Isnt Free

Have you ever wondered what would happen if your friend and neighbor of 20 years,
stood on their front porch and just watched as you were being verbally or physically assaulted by
a total stranger? Being citizens of a democracy requires that we live up to our responsibilities.
They are simply to be responsible, vote and obey the law. By definition then, we as citizens have
the right and obligation of being accountable for the actions that are in our power to control or
manage. Martin Luther Kings Letter from a Birmingham Jail is a great example of the call to
action that is sometimes required in order to preserve our rights.
First it is always our right and responsibility to help when we see an injustice being done
to one person or a group of people. In Martin Luther Kings Letter from a Birmingham Jail, he
reminds even his own people that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. When it
came to the idea of desegregation the people of Birmingham were the most difficult to persuade
in all of the United States. Martin Luther King and his followers had tried for months to
negotiate a place where blacks and whites could shop in the same store or at the very least be
able to have a cup of coffee in the same restaurant. When negotiations failed, peaceful sit-ins
and demonstrations were arranged to bring attention to the injustice of segregation. These people
were being good citizens and showing accountability. Instead of doing nothing, they were trying
to preserve the rights and freedoms of their fellow black community.

Next, oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The urge for freedom will
eventually come. Thomas Jefferson even wrote in our constitution that we hold these truths to
be self-evident that all men are created equal. With words like these in one of our nations most
important and beloved documents is proves that even our founding fathers realized that in order
to be free, we have to as its citizens be willing to stand for truth and when necessary take a stand
in protecting those who cannot protect themselves. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird the main
character Atticus does exactly that. When he is called on to defend a black man accused of
raping a white woman he considers his options and what his actions might mean to his family.
He soon realizes that if he did not stand up for this man and do his very best, he was no better
than those who were falsely accusing him. American history is full of law abiding citizens who
simply were being accountable and using their voice to stop injustices that they saw.
People who disagree with this often say wait, this particular injustice will work itself
out. Or give the new administration time to figure out what would be in the best interest of
everyone involved. However, they are mistaken. In the case of Martin Luther Kings Letter
from a Birmingham Jail, the word wait almost always means never. Injustice must be
rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action.
In conclusion, we as citizens of the United States have the right and obligation of being
accountable for the actions that are in our power to control or manage. In Martin Luther Kings
Letter from a Birmingham Jail, we are reminded that action can be taken peaceably but that
action is required. It is our responsibility to take a stand. Whenever we see an injustice whether
it be one on a larger scale like segregation or one on a smaller scale like seeing a neighbor being
bullied, we must take action. As Martin Luther King said whatever affects one directly affects
all directly. If we choose as citizens to become bystanders to injustices that we see, it wont be

long before we ourselves are the ones experiencing the injustices with no one to take a stand and
help us. We must invite those around us to remember that freedom isnt free. A call to action is
often required and often uncomfortable, even dangerous but necessary in order to keep the
freedoms we have worked so hard to obtain.