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Rome in Birmingham // Abigale Bell

 In Livy's History of Rome, we are brought into the middle of a struggle for equal rights. We have two classes of people; upper and lower; Patricians and Plebeians. These are people with different cultural heritages; one pure, one not so much (according to the upper class). The lower class rises up against injustice and demands equality with the higher class. Haven't we heard this somewhere before? 

Reading this passage from Livy's History of Rome, I am reminded of a letter written by Matin Luther King Jr. from his Birmingham jail cell in 1963. In the midst of the civil rights movement we see people of different races coming against each other in a battle for equality. King had come to Birmingham to advocate for civil rights by peacefully protesting when he was arrested. He wrote a letter to the clergymen of the Birmingham community in response to their outrage at his stirring up trouble. In his letter, King outlines the correct way to approach injustice. He begins by outlining the injustice he sees; calling out the brutality and ugliness of segregation and what it meant for people to experience it. King goes on to address the concerns the clergymen brought up against him. He explains his actions in light of their accusations and tears down their arguments with truth. 

This is very similar to what happened in Rome. The Plebeians fought against the injustice of their segregation form the Patricians. They addressed every unjust argument against them with truth and logic; tearing down the prejudice against them. The Plebeians demanded their right to full citizenship (by intermarriage) just as King demanded full rights to citizenship. 


Commented on Isabelle's and Caroline's posts.

Comments

  1. IsabelleNovember 3, 2020 at 7:34 AM

    Yes yes yes!!! I love your post! It's so amazing how history repeats itself. I love the history of an oppressed people rising up, so your connection of the plebeians to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is fantastic! Something that isn't mentioned as much when we study the Civil Rights Movement: interracial marriage. Did you know Alabama was the last state to declare it "legal"? Amazing post!

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