Question

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" to _____. Select all that apply.

A. prove that he was unlawfully detained


B. defend the use of nonviolent resistance


C. address criticisms from members of the clergy


D. announce a boycott of all segregated businesses

Answer 1

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" to:

B. defend the use of nonviolent resistance

He believed that "people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come" he thought that every man was entitled to seek their respect and well-being.

C. address criticisms from members of the clergy

The members of the clergy disapproved of King's demonstrations because they caused tension, but King answered that that tension was constructive tension, and non-violent manifestation was used to attain a greater good.

Answer 2

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" to:

B. defend the use of nonviolent resistance.

MLKJ was in jail for using nonviolent resistance as a form of protest against racial segregation. In his letter in 1963, MLKJ defends using nonviolent resistance since he states that it is people's moral responsibility to take action rather than simply wait for justice to be done at courts. He states that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". The letter is an iconic text for the American Civil Rights Movement.

C. address criticisms from members of the clergy.

"A Call for Unity" clergymen said that although they agreed that there were social injustices, the didn't believe that churches should have an active role or that there should be public protests. MLKJ, in the letter, describes how the church is called to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. He bases his arguments on religious grounds, referring to Jesus as an activist.