Letter From Birmingham Jail By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the 1960s, segregation was beginning to be weakened by the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans were beginning to see small changes in parts of the South. They were allowed in a few restaurants and lunch counters to sit down and be served, some theatres, schools, and parks were not longer segregated, but despite a few changes, segregation still existed especially in Birmingham, Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. called this city, “the most segregated city in the country”. The Ku Klux Klan was extremely active in Birmingham and was known to be behind the bombings in this city. There were so many unsolved bombings in this city that it was nicknamed “Bombingham”.

King knew that Birmingham was the next place he needed the focus to be

King came up with a plan to get himself arrested. By this time, he was a well-known Civil Rights leader and his arrest would hopefully bring the much needed attention to Birmingham. King and several others planned a march on April 12th which was Good Friday and just as they planned, the police came and arrested King along with around 45 other protesters. He was placed in solitary confinement and it was in his jail cell that he wrote a letter which is now known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and is one of the most famous documents from the Civil Rights

He states that African Americans did not experience the same rights of citizenship as other Americans. King also explains why African Americans had to protest. He said that the only way to spur change was to bring attention to it. Protesting does this and only then, will people see that change is needed. Although Dr. King’s letter became famous in later years, at that time in Birmingham in 1963, it still didn’t bring about the change he was wanting. This fact did not stop Dr. King or the nine days he had just spent in jail from continuing to fight against the injustices in this city.

Dr. King came up with a new plan which was to call upon the children of Birmingham to help with the cause. King knew that the movement would not go further if the adults kept getting arrested. The adults had to still make a living and bring home money for their families and if they were in jail, no one would be helped. He was fully aware of the children being hurt but when he weighed out the damage of segregation and injustice to the children, he felt it was worth the risk and his plan