Final answer:
The main issue in Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement was the violent police response to peaceful civil rights demonstrations, notably during the campaign led by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963. King's imprisonment and his 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' further highlighted the struggle against segregation and the necessity of immediate social change.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main issue surrounding Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement was the violent response by the police to peaceful protests. In 1963, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Martin Luther King, Jr., initiated a campaign against segregation in Birmingham. This peaceful protest was met with extreme actions from the police, including the use of fire hoses and dogs on demonstrators, which included children. The response of the law enforcement to these peaceful protests, rather than Martin Luther King, Jr. calling the city home, the number of bombings or riots, or the support of city police for Martin Luther King, Jr., was the critical issue.
During his incarceration on Easter Sunday, 1963, King wrote the seminal 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' in which he defended the necessity for immediate and proactive efforts to end segregation, countering a group of white clergymen's calls for a more incremental approach to social change. The widespread violence and aggressive tactics of the police in Birmingham brought national and international attention to the civil rights struggle and subsequently galvanized support for federal legislation to outlaw segregation.