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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Sitting in a jail cell in the city of Birmingham, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter to several clergymen in regards to their criticism of his and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)’s protests. Despite the fact that he never responded to any sort of criticism, he decided to respond as he felt angered by said criticism, but chose to convey it patiently and reasonably. Immediately in response to the comment that “outsiders are coming in,” Dr. King defends his right to be at that location as the SCLC was operated all throughout the South as well as the fact that they were invited by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights to perform a “nonviolent direct-action program” if necessary. He felt that they came to battle “injustice”, judging the clergymen who failed to seek out the racism that have caused said “injustice.” Dr. King goes on to show that he completely understands the clergymen’s want of negotiation instead of protest, however he notes that this cannot happen due to the “crisis” and “tension” that occurs which leads to those unwilling to do so. This “tension” isn’t something to be afraid of, as its “necessary for growth”, and is necessary for segregation to end, something that’s been waited on for “more than 340 years.” Dr. King goes on to address the claim of the protests being …show more content…

has made an everlasting impact on we live our lives today; with his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King captured the appeal of the audience as he continued to lead the Civil Rights Movement. Leading the peaceful protests against segregation, there were many obstacles that stood in his way. As he led a march in Birmingham to take action on April 12, 1963, King was arrested and thrown into jail. On this day, a number of clergymen published an article that criticized King and his march. This event lead to the letter that would become one of the most important documents for the Civil Rights

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