Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

The civil rights movement in the mid-20th century sparked a civil movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. Martin Luther King was a leader and activist for the movement who promoted civil disobedience. Unfortunately, in 1963 he was arrested due to one of his protest in Birmingham. The Alabama Clergymen wrote an article in the Birmingham News after the arrests, urging the public to stop the demonstrations that called the protests "unwise and untimely." While imprisoned in Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King wrote a letter responding to the article explaining why these protests are needed for the United States to grow. In the letter Martin Luther King used multiple shifts in tone to retain the clergymen’s attention by showing a sense of reason. …show more content…
King began the letter with a mundane tone so his words would not appear too belligerent or aggressive. He also addressed the clergymen as his "fellow clergymen" to not only earn their respect, but to also view him as an equal. However as the letter progresses his tone begins to change, becoming angrier about the racism in Birmingham. He even responded to the clergymen's claims as King being an "outsider" by saying, "Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outsider agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds." He was vexed and disappointed at the fact that African Americans have waited for long for freedom in the United States. Throughout his life he had witnessed the negative effects of segregation and racism and became disgusted with it. He said, “we have waited more than 340 years for our