Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

If Not Now, When? During the 1960s, racial segregation was an ongoing problem in the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized this problem and decided to take action against it. King wanted to make a difference in the racial segregation that was going on by hosting nonviolent campaigns, but by doing so, sparked a response from the clergymen: a group of religious leaders. In response to the clergymen, King composed ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail.’ King used many techniques in his writing to boost his credibility and elicit emotion by showing respect, creating visual imagery, and relating his actions to something the clergymen were familiar with – the bible. In King’s efforts to respond to the clergymen, he prioritized respectful communication.

King wants the clergymen to know that just as the prophets left their village to spread the word of God, he is leaving his hometown to spread the “gospel of freedom.” He writes this because the clergymen referred to King, who was not from Birmingham, as an ‘outsider.’ King wants the clergymen to understand that his spreading of the 'gospel of freedom' is no different than when the prophets were spreading the gospel of God. In the words of King: “Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness?” Although the clergymen were not directly supportive of segregation itself, their response was a step towards justifying it, so King mentions that segregation, through God’s eyes, is sinful. King was hoping the clergymen, who were often put in a difficult predicament during these times due to their political involvement, would conform, not only under political aspects but also biblical aspects. King makes it known that civil disobedience is not a new problem. Christians stood their ground centuries ago, just as King and his people are; therefore why are the clergymen criticizing him? King writes: “Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion?” What King is trying to get across is that just as Jesus wasn’t condemned for God’s crucifixion through his devotion, King and his people shouldn’t be condemned for peacefully responding to segregation: “Protect the robbed & punish the robber.” The clergymen labeled King as an extremist which led King to bring up the fact that Jesus was labeled as an extremist as well, so what’s the difference between the two if both Jesus and King were extremists for good reasons? King hoped