Martin Luther King's defense of civil disobedience in Birmingham

¶ … letter written to his \"fellow clergymen\" of any and all denominations, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks out against racism and injustice while he was in prison for his political activism.[footnoteRef:1] King begins his letter by stating the direct purpose of writing, which is to refute the claim that the recent uprising in African-American civil disobedience can be characterized as \"unwise and untimely,\" as his opponents apparently stated.[footnoteRef:2] Contrary to what his opponents were claiming, King states that organized civil disobedience movements occurring throughout the Southern United States are both wise and timely. [1: King, Martin Luther. \"Letter from Birmingham City Jail,\" in Why We Can\'t Wait (New York: Harper & Row, 1984, p. 1] [2: King 1]

The need for civil disobedience was especially true in Birmingham, where King was jailed for leading protests. The law provides to support for African-Americans, so African-Americans need to take back the law and assert their constitutional rights. King points out that Birmingham is \"probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States,\" and has a record of police brutality as well as a string of \"unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches.\"[footnoteRef:3] Given the violent nature of racism in Birmingham and elsewhere in America, there is absolutely no reason why legislative action cannot or should not be taken now, according to the author. [3: King 1]

After establishing the purpose and urgency of his letter, King goes on to dissect his audience\'s argument. First, King points out that the model of \"direct action,\" which is necessary to create change.[footnoteRef:4] Second, King notes that oppressors do not give up their position of power without a crisis, naturally. Third, King points out that while their activists are breaking the laws, those laws are not valid -- they are unjust, racist laws. Unjust laws are illegitimate and need to be changed. Finally, King points out to his fellow clergymen that there is a historical and religious underpinning of African-American civil disobedience. King refers to St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas to substantiate his claims, and appeals not only to Christians but also to Jewish leaders. [4: King 1]

Author

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born into a family of pastors who served the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.[footnoteRef:5] King derived the spiritual orientation indicated in \"Letter from Birmingham Jail\" from his family. King, his father, and his grandfather all served in the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Likewise, King attended the same college that his father and grandfather had graduated from: Morehouse College in Atlanta, a traditionally black school.[footnoteRef:6] King attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, \"where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class,\" proving his predilection for leadership that transcends racial boundaries.[footnoteRef:7] After that, King received his Phd from Boston University, where he met his wife Coretta. King took his education and leadership credentials back to the South, to become a prominent and premier political activist. He presided over some of the most significant landmarks in civil rights history including the bus boycott. During this time, King was arrested several times for civil disobedience. Never did King give up his commitment to nonviolent protest, even while he was incarcerated as he was during the time he penned \"Letter from Birmingham City Jail.\" [5: Nobel Prize, 2016, \"Martin Luther King Jr. -- Biography.\" Retrieved online: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html, p. 1] [6: Nobel Prize, 2016, p. 1] [7: Nobel Prize, 2016, p. 1]

Historical Context

King wrote \"Letter from Birmingham City Jail\" after being arrested for \"leading a massive protest...that caught the attention of the entire world.\"[footnoteRef:8] Several other protests, including the bus boycott and numerous sit-ins, preceded the protests in Birmingham. The protests were against systematic racism and segregation, which were an affront to the fundamental principles of American constitutional law. However, the South had never internalized the lessons of the Civil War; the old race-based slave system had entrenched racism so deeply into the consciousness of white Southerners that genuine political, social, and economic equality were perceived of as being unnatural affronts to Southern society. Jim Crow institutions dominated the Southern landscape, and men like King were uniquely situated in a way that provided them with the power and the impetus to create meaningful democratic change. King derived the core of his political philosophy and methodology from \"the operational techniques of Gandhi,\" who used similar methods of mass peaceful protests and non-violent resistance to oust the British from India.[footnoteRef:9] Therefore, the African-American empowerment movement is parallel with global anti-colonialism movements, and should be viewed within a global historical context. [8: Nobel Prize, 2016, p. 1] [9: Nobel Prize, 2016, p. 1]