Martin Luther King Jr's Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

Martin Luther king Jr. was one of the most influential people during the Civil Rights era and was responsible for changing the lives of all African Americans in America. He was a leader of his time; on a mission to gain freedom from segregation and derivation of rights for all minorities in the south. As a Political Leader, Martin Luther King Jr. had many followers, but just the same, he also had criticizers. In his letter addressed to the Clergymen titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963)”, Martin Luther King Jr. speaks as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Council and answers to questions and concerns of his participation and demonstration of nonviolent actions against political wrong doings that resulted in the imprisonment of Martin Luther King Jr. and several other protestors. Martin Luther King Jr. felt the need to address the concerns of his criticizers who thought that his actions were misguided and impetuous. In his letter, Martin Luther King Jr. stands by his actions in protesting signs that promoted segregation along with businesses of the same mind. He felt he had a duty to all African American people to

was the lack of negotiation; however Martin Luther King asserts that his attempt at negotiating failed. After meeting with the political officials of Birmingham an agreement was made by the officials to remove signs that promoted segregation. When the promises of the political officials were unfulfilled measures had to be taken to continue the mission of equal treatment. Martin Luther King Jr. also points out to his criticizers that negotiation leads to strain and tension between the two opposing sides. Tension provides a forceful hand to get demands met and to demonstrate standing firm when promises are broken. Although the actions of Martin Luther King Jr. and other protestors caused tension with political officials, they remained nonviolent and righteous in their