Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr.'s usage of classification in Letter From Birmingham Jail helps to prove why peaceful protests are necessary to the cause. In his letter, King classifies the difference between just and unjust laws in order to show why certain laws have to be broken. He goes on to state the difference between the two, "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." By putting the laws into two different categories, King is able to prove to the people that the African Americans who break those laws deemed unjust are not wrong in their actions. He also states that the breaking of certain laws is a practiced that can be seen throughout history, "It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than to submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." Because

In his letter he mentions how ministers have said, "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern." The Christian church classified the African American movement for freedom as merely a social issue and King disproved that. In his letter he wrote, "…I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure." The mistreatment of people is morally wrong, and the church has always been about goodness, but they have decided to turn a blind eye. By discrediting an established system, he has put forth the idea that not everything is set in stone. As time passes new things come about that can disrupt the way we think. Him disproving the system proves to us that we must always keep an open