Question

Which two statements are Dr. King's response to the counterargument that his action in Birmingham is untimely?

A) "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
B) "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
C) "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights."
D) "I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate."
E) "We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."

Answer 1

Dr. King responded to criticisms of his actions' timing by arguing that African Americans had waited over 340 years for their rights, and that the time is always right to pursue justice.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s response to the counterargument that his action in Birmingham is untimely includes the statements “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights.” (Option C) and “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” (Option E). These responses address the criticisms from white clergymen regarding the pace of the civil rights movement and the urgency with which action was being taken. Essentially, King’s argument is that African Americans could no longer wait for a “right time” for their rights to be recognized and that delaying action equals complicity in the face of injustice.