Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a letter aimed at a group of white clergymen arguing their views on Kings work. The letter itself was an argument back at the clergymen’s criticism of his methods of taking a stand, they thought that all African American people should bring their problems to a courthouse or somewhere official, and not to the streets where fights could easily begin. Martin Luther King Jr. stated four basic steps to a successful nonviolent campaign in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. These steps were successfully followed through and continued to accelerate the civil rights movement.
On April 12th, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, charged for, “parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing and picketing” this was a rule passed a few days earlier against such protests. On the day of MLK’s arrest in Birmingham, the clergymen released a statement in the paper directed toward King titled “A Call for Unity”, this article stated many of King's non-violent protests were “unwise and untimely” along with telling the African American community to step back from supporting these actions. The very next day while still locked in a cell, King began writing a patient and detailed essay in response to the clergymen's editorial. This statement was titled, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and after being published was spread near and far throughout the nation.
The Letter From a Birmingham Jail
