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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In 1963 a social activist for the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in response to a public statement by eight Alabama clergymen, criticizing Dr. King’s actions. Dr. King was leading a peaceful march in Birmingham with his followers, when he was arrested for protesting. Dr. King was confined in the Birmingham jail for a total of four days in which he wrote his letter with only a newspaper that contained the public statement by the clergymen. During this time Birmingham was immensely known for its injustice and racism, being one of the most segregated cities. Dr. King’s position was to mend the injustice and inequality through non-violent peaceful actions. Dr. King argues that we have a moral duty to contravene the unjust laws. This concept seems contradicting, following some laws but not others. Dr. King is saying that laws are put in place for the citizens to follow however; following the unjust laws are only furthering segregation. Dr. King states, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality …show more content…

King expresses that citizens should not only want to deal with local problems, but also with problems in other areas (King). In the statement from the Alabama clergymen, they accuse Dr. King of being an unwanted outsider. The clergymen believe that Dr. King is coming into Alabama unwantedly, trying to fix the issue of inequality. The clergymen go as far to say that Dr. King is “an outsider looking in” (King). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. bluntly states “But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” Dr. King is showing that to fix segregation they must deal with it in other places as well as locally to them, since Birmingham was one of the worst cities racially Dr. King and his followers go to take a stand to the inequality. Dr. King reflects that citizens should be able to take a stand in states other than their own without being called an

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immediately addresses his credibility and directly responds to one of the main points that the clergymen state about outsiders. King states “ I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against “outsiders coming in(444)” King goes on to describes how he is a member of several different organizations that are fighting for equal Civil Rights most importantly how he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and he states how “ I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.(444)” King also demonstrates his credibility to the Clergyman as a minister and a brother of the church by quoting the Paul from the gospels and also early Christians who would rather be eaten by the lions than obey unjust laws(447).

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King elaborates about his position and the weight of his organization, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia” (King, 164). Perhaps King’s intentions were to set an equal level between him and the Clergymen by showing that the Civil Rights was a serious matter that organization have been working on. Demonstrating how although their actions seem to be anarchistic since the movement “disrupted” the order by peacefully protesting in the streets of Birmingham, their intentions are beneficial for the African American community rather than a malicious movement. Along with his position as the leader of the SCLC, he is an African American referring to an issue affecting exclusively the African American community. His race validates the anecdotes he shares as an African American being constantly segregated and being looked down upon due to their ethnic background.

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In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.

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Dr. King's, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is poignant in many ways in regard to a "big picture" viewpoint of our society. Overall, it speaks to the viewpoint that we all have a social responsibility to each other to work against injustice irrespective of where that injustice takes place. "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. Dr. King told the local clergy in Birmingham that he understood he was an outsider and he realized that his presence in Birmingham would cause trouble. However, he also felt that he had a moral

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With the help of these four steps, he justifies the need for the demonstration. King illustrates the city of Birmingham as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States,” (King 2). Here King is able to show that injustices are present in Birmingham, which further justifies his reason for a peaceful demonstration. King proceeds to speak about his method of protesting. He states that negotiation was not met, and that “[their] hopes had been blasted,” that like “victims of a broken promise,” their wishes had been disregarded, (King 2).

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King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice

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