Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

In the letter from the Birmingham jail, King was visiting Birmingham, Alabama back in April 1963. Dr. King went to jail for a non-violent protest. He was protesting for change because Birmingham was filled with injustices, and was the most segregated city in the US. Even though Dr. Kings actions were "unwise" and untimely, they couldn't continue to postpone such historical events. A time for change is never timely.

At the beginning of the letter, King makes a claim that he is not an outsider. states the purpose of the letter. According to the text it states, "To answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms." . Paragraph two establishes a king as not being an outsider. The text states, "We have some eighty five

For example, he discusses the Boston tea party. The author wrote, "In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience." The king mentioned these events took place here to show that his protest was not the first act of civil disobedience. In addition, he even referred to early Christians not submitting to unjust laws. The text states, "It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." If Dr. King and his followers submitted to unjust laws, they wouldn't know what to stand up for. If you have to fight for change, you have to be ambitious and willing to go through pain. Using logical reasoning and historical events, King justified his actions in Birmingham. In paragraph 26, Dr. King talks about time and references a letter someone wrote to him. To summarize the letter," "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually...has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has." These lines stuck out because Dr. King's response to the letter was significant. He talks about the misconception of time and how it can be used destructively and constructively. As stated in the source, "time itself is neutral; it can be

Paragraph 38 starts off with the beauty of traveling through southern states, but it quickly turns into discussions of nullification. King asks rhetorical questions like, "What kind of people worship here?" Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification?" These rhetorical questions have a deep meaning. He talks about the beauty of the church, but the morals of the people inside the church. How can the people of the church praise God, but when its time to use their voice to fight for justice and support, the people of the church fall through. King is disappointed with the churches actions, but he does not dishonor the church. Dr. King wrote, "There can be no deep disappointment where there is no deep love." Just because he disagrees with the laxity of the church does not mean the love for the church is not there. Since King comes from generations of preachers, King feels as though he is a conformist for speaking out on the lack of care on the church matter. Dr. King wrote, "I am in the rather unique position...How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists." Segregated churches are not the purpose of the church. It was to praise God. The community of all races should come together and fight. Kings marches were to protest and stand for justice and fight against injustice. His actions are