Part I Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Letter from Birmingham Jail Lesson 1

By Abigail Petri

Open Ended

During our “Pledge of Allegiance,” we commit ourselves to the idea of “liberty and justice for all.” What does the word “justice” mean to you? What connotations does it carry? Do we live in a just society today? Why or why not?

Letter from Birmingham Jail --​Martin Luther King Jr. --16 April 1963 ​

My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.

Multiple Choice

How does King start out the letter?

• Dear Sir or Madam

• Hello Friends!

• My Dear Fellow Clergymen

• To Whom It May Concern:

Open Ended

What type of feeling is created in the first sentence of his letter?

"While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." "

Poll

Why might the timing be considered "unwise and untimely"?

• No one wants to fight anyway.

• It is right near Easter.

• It's not a smart time to get in trouble.

​But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. […] Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

Multiple Choice

Why is Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham?

• He wanted to visit the city.

• Injustice is there.

• He feels like being there.

• He was told to go there.

Open Ended

What might King mean by the phrase, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" ?

You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.

Open Ended

What is the overall goal of this letter by Martin Luther King Jr? Provide an example from the text to help support your answer.