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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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The purpose of “King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail” was to say that nonviolent resistance should be used to face racism. He was criticized by white religious leaders and encouraged by blacks. King was inspired to write the letter because he was an advocate for racial equality and he felt the people writing the letter were not. He also mentioned moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest. Practicing civil disobedience by marching through Birmingham is why Dr. King was arrested. He made clear that this was not only a black problem, but one for the human race. In response to the criticisms of southern clergymen, King wrote a letter justifying his actions by integrating the following themes: civil disobedience, religion, and race. …show more content…

King incorporated civil disobedience in his letter to his fellow clergymen. He stated that he could not stay in Atlanta and do nothing because the laws in Birmingham were unjust. Being that Birmingham was so close to Atlanta, it only affirmed his decision to lead the fight even more. King states, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.“ The King being in jail of him writing this letter is very important which also ties back to civil disobedience. He is in jail for leading peaceful protests because he is against with the Jim Crow laws. Being that King is in jail, he says that it is even more unfortunate that there is no other alternative but to resort to these demonstrations because the white structure of Birmingham has neglected the Negro community. Dr. King justifies his going to jail by saying that it is a moral obligation to participate in peaceful demonstrations when

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