why is letter from birmingham jail important

Martin Luther King 's "Letter from Birmingham Jail

" is the most important written document of the civil rights era. The letter served as a tangible, reproducible account of the long road to freedom in a movement that was largely centered around actions and spoken words.

Full Answer

What is the central idea of letter from Birmingham Jail?

The mainthemes in “Letter from BirminghamCity Jail” include justice, civil disobedience, and Christianity. Justice: King argues that denying justice to one person threatens justice for everyone. For African Americans, justice will not simply arrive—it must be fought for. Click to see full answer

What are the main points of letter from Birmingham Jail?

They are:

• King had no right as an ‘outsider’ to disrupt the happenings in the City of Birmingham
• King acted inappropriately, trying to communicate using public demonstrations.
• It would have been better to negotiate as opposed to direct action.
• The African American community needs to be patient and await the society’s move towards civil rights.

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What is the significance of the letter from Birmingham Jail?

Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is the most important written document of the civil rights era. The letter served as a tangible, reproducible account of the long road to freedom in a movement that was largely centered around actions and spoken words.

What is mlk thesis in letter from Birmingham Jail?

What Is Mlk Thesis In Letter From Birmingham Jail. 1012 Words5 Pages. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, author Martin Luther King, is letting the clergymen, white moderate, ministers, police etc. to respond to all criticisms they have and to tell them why he is in Birmingham. He lets them know that they have no other choice but to employ direct action towards segregation.

What is the main purpose of the Letter from Birmingham Jail?

wrote A Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963, in which he was in imprisoned for protesting against the treatment of black people in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of this letter was to defend his position for nonviolent direct action and with the use of rhetorical appeal allows the reader to agree.

What is the most important message in Letter from Birmingham Jail?

After countering the charge that he was an “outside agitator” in the body of the letter, King sought to explain the value of a “nonviolent campaign” and its “four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action” (King, Why, 79).

What is the main purpose of the Letter from Birmingham Jail quizlet?

The Letter from Birmingham Jail, also known as the Letter from Birmingham City Jail and The Negro Is Your Brother, is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr. The letter defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism.

Why did Martin Luther King wrote letter from Birmingham?

From the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in longhand the letter which follows. It was his response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South.

What is King's main argument?

Answer and Explanation: In Letter from Birmingham Jail, King's central thesis is that civil disobedience in the form of nonviolent protests is necessary for the segregated atmosphere in Birmingham to change.

What is the conclusion of the Letter from Birmingham Jail?

In conclusion, Martin Luther King in his Letter from Birmingham Jail confesses that he feels extremely disappointed with the white community that ignores the suffering of African Americans, who promise equality but after all cannot fulfill their promise, of the police force instead of enforcing the laws violate the ...

What makes King's letter powerful and effective?

King structured the letter using multiple literary techniques throughout the piece, including intense imagery, and emotional appeal in order to make his message effective. The letter gives his readers insight into how black citizens are being terrorized, beaten and suffering because of their skin color.

What is the main idea of this excerpt from King's letter?

What is the main idea of this excerpt from King's letter? Without violent tension and fighting, change would be too slow. Nonviolent direct action is needed to bring about change.

What were the main points of the I Have a Dream speech?

The main idea of the speech is to protest against discrimination and to fight for freedom and equality. It is like a sermon with references to the Bible, the US Constitution, and the Declaration of US Independence. Martin Luther King has used many examples from history.

What is the conclusion of the Letter from Birmingham Jail?

In conclusion, Martin Luther King in his Letter from Birmingham Jail confesses that he feels extremely disappointed with the white community that ignores the suffering of African Americans, who promise equality but after all cannot fulfill their promise, of the police force instead of enforcing the laws violate the ...

What is the thesis of Letter from Birmingham Jail?

King's main thesis in writing the Birmingham letter is that, racial segregation, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the continuous encouragement of the white American society, particularly the powerful communities in politics and religions.

What are the major sections of the Letter from Birmingham Jail?

Cite This SourceThe Text.Section 1: Why Birmingham.Section 2: Non-Violent Direct Action.Section 3: Waiting.Section 4: Right vs. Wrong.Section 5: White People.Section 6: The Church.Section 7: Keep Trying.More items...

Why is segregation unjust?

In this way, he deems segregation unjust because it is “an existential expression of man’s tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness.”. More concretely, he notes that a law is unjust if those made to obey the law (in this case, African Americans) had no opportunity to enact that law.

Why is King in Birmingham?

Active Themes. In addition, King is also in Birmingham because he feels compelled to respond to injustice wherever he finds it. He compares his work to that of the early Christians, especially the Apostle Paul, who traveled beyond his homeland to spread the Christian gospel.

What does King say about the laws he is breaking?

He specifies, however, that the laws they are breaking are unjust, and that he feels a moral obligation not to follow unjust laws. Returning to the specific list of criticisms, King now focuses on distinction between law and justice.

What is the yearning for freedom?

The yearning for freedom is the result of centuries of pent-up frustration , and if African Americans do not have the opportunity to take action and participate in nonviolent protest, King argues, they will find refuge in the more extreme groups. He asks his critics to consider the circumstances that brought about these protests, rather than automatically condemning them.

Why did King praise the protesters?

King takes the opportunity to praise the protesters, in part because no white religious leader will do so. In his praise, King shows his confidence in the righteousness of his cause and his belief that while he may not see the end of segregation, he knows history will be on his side. Active Themes.

What is the tone of the letter King wrote?

Throughout the letter, King has maintained a cordial and generous tone , careful to show respect for his critics even when they do not merit it. He now commends some of the white people who have supported the cause of racial equality in even the smallest ways, such as the Reverend Stallings.

What is the White Moderate perspective of King?

To illustrate the white moderate perspective, King refers to a letter he received from a white man from Texas, who claimed that King was “in too much of a religious hurry” because equal rights would come on their own schedule.

Why was Martin Luther King arrested?

and nearly 50 other protestors and civil rights leaders were arrested after leading a Good Friday demonstration as part of the Birmingham Campaign, designed to bring national attention to the brutal, racist treatment suffered by blacks in one of the most segregated cities in America—Birmingham, Alabama. For months, an organized boycott of the city’s white-owned businesses had failed to achieve any substantive results, leaving King and others convinced they had no other options but more direct actions, ignoring a recently passed ordinance that prohibited public gathering without an official permit.

Who was the Birmingham police commissioner who ordered the police to turn on protesters?

Birmingham’s Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene “Bull” Connor, who King had repeatedly criticized in his letter for his harsh treatment, ordered fire hoses and police dogs to be turned on the young protestors; more than 600 of them were jailed on the first day alone.

What brings the issue to the forefront?

That tension and that struggle are what bring the issue to the forefront. That tension causes those with privilege enough not to feel the injustices occurring to have to confront the fact that the injustices, indeed, ARE occurring. That is the point of direct action.

What was the letter from a Birmingham jail?

Dr. King ultimately spent 10 days in jail that April, and while he was in there, penned one of the most well-known treatises on direct action in the service of justice. “ Letter from a Birmingham Jail ” was written in the margins of a newspaper, on scraps of paper, and a legal pad obtained days after being incarcerated, and is still one of the most important texts we can read with our students. Now, 54 years later, Dr. King’s words are as applicable to injustice and issues of equality in the United States as they were then.

Who is Cari Zall?

Cari Zall has been a Social Sciences educator for over 12 years, in both brick & mortar and online environments. She currently works as the Curriculum and Instructional Support Manager for an online high school dropout recovery program, and is the Assignment Editor and a writer for The Educator’s Room, an online education magazine. Cari is certified in Gamification and has worked on several projects incorporating Gamification into online and traditional education environments. Her areas of expertise include Gamification and Student Resilience & Motivation; Conflict Resolution & Collaboration, and social justice education. Prior to her teaching career, Cari worked for 15 years in civil litigation and as a human rights activist in Northern Ireland and Washington, DC. She holds a BA in Conflict Analysis & Resolution, an Masters in Teaching, and an MA in Political Science. Cari is a James Madison Fellow, and is the author of the book, How to Finish the Test When Your Pencil Breaks: A Teacher Faces Layoff, Unemployment and a Career Shift. You can finder her on twitter at @teachacari.

Can nonviolent direct action create tension?

Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.