Dhruv Patel

APUSH
5/2/15

Letter from Birmingham Jail Analysis

What are Kings reasons for being in Birmingham? How does King
answer to the charge of being an outsider?
King was asked to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action
program if necessary. He came because he had promised to come with his
staff if the situation needed justice. He answers to the charge of being an
outsider by saying he is the serving as the President of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every
Southern State, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. He is there because
he has organizational ties and that he is compelled to carry his own gospel
just like the Apostle Paul.
What does this mean for individuals who have ignored the issues of
Birmingham? What does this mean today for each of us living in the
United States?
For those individuals living in Birmingham this quote means that any
injustice that is going on can be tangled with justice in any other given place.
Its like the Jenga game, if you pull the wrong piece, the whole building will
collapse. Today, this means to us that if there is injustice in one place, more
people will cause uproar in support if the injustice isnt dealt with, for
example, the Baltimore riots.
What are the four basic steps of nonviolent direct action? For each
of the steps state the example in Birmingham. Can you think of
another historical (local, national, global) example of nonviolent
protest which followed these steps?
The four basic steps of nonviolent direct action are: collection of the
facts to determine whether injustices exist, negotiation, self purification, and
direct action. In Birmingham, King and his organization collected facts about
how this city was the most segregated city in the United States. Then they
tried to negotiate with shop owners and other racist people to take down
signs, which didnt work. After that they reinforced their principles by asking
themselves if what they were doing is right and just and self purified them by
participating in workshops. After all the nonviolent protest and negotiation,
direct action was taken in Birmingham which called for sit-ins, strikes, etc
Another historical example of a nonviolent protest is when Mahatma Gandhi
let the charge for Indian independence with nonviolent principles.
Why did King and others decide to delay their actions?
King and the others decided to delay their actions so that the strong
economic withdrawal could get the attention of the merchants and affect
their decision greatly.

Dhruv Patel
APUSH
5/2/15

What does King mean by constructive nonviolent tension and how

does he define its goal?
King means that he doesnt want the people to engage in violent
activities but does want a constant pressure on the people so that a decision
can be squeezed out of the tension. He defines its goal to be that of putting
pressure on the party so that a deal can be negotiated to avoid direct action.
Choose an example from United States history which represents the
painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the
oppressor. Choose an example which illustrates his point that
justice too long delayed is justice denied.
An example that represents the painful experience that freedom is never
voluntarily given by the oppressor is when India had to fight for its
independence from the British starting from the Indian Independence
Movement. This shows that freedom isnt obtained without pain and
hardship. An example that illustrates his point that justice too long delayed is
justice denied is that of the freedom of the slaves, if they hadnt been
granted their freedom, they might be slaves today in this world still.
List the injustices and choose three to compare to the Bill of Rights
and/or the UDHR.
The injustices are: execution, inequality, public humiliation, freedom of
speech, and feeling paranoid. An arrest was made due to protesting without
permit, but this denies the 1st Amendment right of peaceful protest and
assembly. Also public humility and freedom of speech go along with the first
amendment rights that state, . prohibits the making of any law respecting
an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging
the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press.
King describes two types of laws, just and unjust, how does he
define each? Can you give other examples in the present of unjust
laws you feel a moral obligation to disobey? Would you be willing to
accept the consequences? What are the effects of segregation?
King describes just laws as code that a majority compels a minority to follow
and that it is willing to follow itself and unjust laws as, a human law that is
not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Segregation changes the mindset
of a certain group or race and affects their ability to move forward in the
world. A law that I feel is unjust is that of zoning laws, the government isnt
supposed to invade personal property, but still regulates it. I feel that is
unjust to the natural rights of the citizens in the United States.
Do you need to obey a law that you did not participate in creating?
Most of you are under 18, do you need to live by a law you did not

Dhruv Patel
APUSH
5/2/15

participate in making? Residents in a country, should they obey laws

they did not participate in creating?
One should always obey a law even if they didnt participate in creating the
law. The reasons for this include that laws are put in place to protect society,
engage order, and maintain tranquility in the nation. All residents of a
country are obliged to follow the laws because they seek shelter in the
hearth of the country.
Breaking an unjust law lovingly? Could you get to this state? Why
does he think this would be an expression of respect for the law?
What if his actions do not arouse the conscience of the community?
Was it worth it?
He thinks this would be an expression of respect for the law because
he knows what he is doing and is willing to accept the consequences in order
to make a stand for what is right. I dont think I can get to this state simply
because I dont like consequences. His actions will always be worth it no
matter what because when one person makes a stand, it inspires countless
others.
Why do citizens choose to be silent about a law they may find
unjust? What are the social and legal consequences for civil
disobedience?
They choose to be silent about a law they find unjust because of the
consequences they have to face if they disobey and disagree with these
unjust laws. Legal consequences are the most usual scenarios in these types
of situations.
In the above segment King describes examples of negative peace.
What does he mean by this?
King means that the person accepts the unjust laws even though they
dont feel good about them or even if the laws dont fix anything.
What does King warn will happen if the Negro community is not
allowed to demonstrate through nonviolent actions? Is King
threatening them?
King warns that the Negro population is thriving for racial justice and
equality and if they arent allowed to even protest in peace, the community
will deteriorate and violence will commence. King isnt threatening them; he
is simply just stating the trend of the Negro community to strive towards
justice.
Why does King welcome the label extremist?

Dhruv Patel
APUSH
5/2/15

King welcomes the label extremist because he says that Jesus was an
extremist for love, Amos an extremist for justice, Paul an extremist for the
Christian Gospel, etc to show that the label extremist only goes to show
that the question isnt whether we will be extremists or not, but what type of
extremist you will be.
What is your favorite quote? Why? How can you connect this to your
life or issues in your community today?
My favorite quote is that of Thomas Jefferson, we hold these truths to
be self evident, that all men are created equal It is my favorite because it
emphasizes the point that no man is created greater than one another, the
amount of work you do and what you achieve in life will define you. I can
connect this quote to todays issues because stereotyping is common in this
day and age, and many brown colored people are subject to racist remarks of
terrorism, etc But everyone is created equal, and no one has a right to
judge someone based on appearance.