Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

Thoughts on Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.

During the first quarter of 1963, a series of correspondence from white clergymen in Alabama, directed at both White and Black citizens of Alabama and Birmingham in particular were circulated. The culmination of this dialogue resulted in Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. To summarize the possible thoughts of Dr. King, it’s relevant to review some events that led up to the authoring of the letter.

The first of the “Law and Order Statement”, was authored and signed in January of 1963 by the following clergymen: Bishop Nolan B. Harmon, Rabbi Milton L. Grafman, Bishop Paul Hardin, Rev. Edward V. Ramage, Bishop C. C. J. Carpenter, Rev. Soterios D.Gouvellis,

Bishop Joseph A. Durick, Rabbi Eugene Blackschleger, Rev. Earl Stallings, J. T. Beale, and Rev. George M. Murray. Based on the initial paragraph of the statement, it was precipitated based on recent court decisions which directed that schools and colleges in Alabama (and across the southern United States) desegregate. Although Brown v. Board of Education was decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1954, it would be another decade or more before some citizens of the South would realize this reality. This initial statement was directed toward the white citizens of Alabama who had expressed disagreement and potential violence toward these decisions.
After reading the Alabama Clergymen’s Letter about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, I came to the following conclusion. From the reading, during the early months of 1963, there were planned peaceful marches and demonstrations by the Black citizens of Birmingham due to resistance to enforcing the desegregation laws, not only for citizens but from the state government. Preceding this, Dr. King worked with the citizens and Black clergy in Birmingham to ensure that the community was trained on peaceful protesting and the particulars of why this was necessary. These interactions and trainings, from what the White clergy deemed as “outsiders” and “agitators”, led to the authoring of the second statement by the White clergy, which was directed more toward Dr. King. In this letter the white clergy expressed concern with the demonstrations by the “Negro community” participating in the demonstrations which were orchestrated and led by outsiders (in their opinion). They felt that the racial tensions in Birmingham were best handled by using the US justice system (courts) and considered them to be a form of unlawful activity and instigation. They implored the outsiders that these matters were best handled by the Black citizens who were from Birmingham.
Dr. King has now been arrested for participating in one of the demonstrations and came across the statement made by the white clergymen regarding the peaceful protest and demonstration by the Black citizens. Dr. King begins by saying that he rarely, if ever responds to criticism of his work. Why did he feel the need to respond to this particular statement? He calls them “men of genuine good will” and I believe the most compelling reason for the response was that these were all men who were clergy. Dr. King possibly saw this as a chance to appeal to the common biblical beliefs that he shared with these men, in particular the professing Christian clergy.
He is first addressing their accusations of “outsiders coming in”. He uses this as a chance to explain his position with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and his work with the local citizens in Birmingham. Next he compares this to the Apostle Paul carrying the Gospel message across the Greco-Roman empire (affirming their common belief in the Gospel). He then discusses the four steps to non-violent campaigns: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action, all of which he states were accomplished in Birmingham. There is restrained frustration with the system in place as Dr. King reiterates the previous attempts to use the courts, engage in discussion with the local leaders and businesses all too continuously receive promises of change and to find nothing will change. He brings to their mind that gains for freedom have never been won by a voluntary act of the oppressor and reminds them that over and over the Negro has often heard “Wait” and what it eventually meant was “Never”. The wait has been more than 340 years for Blacks to have the same constitutional rights as whites.
He next attacks their apparent anxiety over Blacks “breaking the law” to protest and demonstrate. Dr. King acknowledges that it is a legitimate concern and then addresses the continued breaking of the law regarding the 1954 Supreme Court ruling (Brown v. Board of Education) outlawing segregation in the public schools. He attacks their hypocrisy at not addressing all the laws that are being broken which have led to the instigation of this situation.
Dr. King seems to use this as a pivot to address unjust laws which really shows that he views the statement by the clergy as hypocritical when he states “An unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself”. He gives other examples of unjust laws that are currently in place in the South to restrict Blacks (for example voting restrictions). With all this, Dr. King is careful to reiterate non-violence and to that he does not advocate breaking the law. He also reiterates that one who is willing to break an unjust law must also be willing to accept the penalty, which he points out is not what happens to the segregationist (there was no punishment for ignoring the desegregation laws, harassing Black citizens, denying basic rights).
Dr.

King next admits his growing and continued frustration and disappointment with white moderates (and this would appear to include the clergy who wrote the letter). He now feels he needs to address them as what they profess to be “Brothers in Christ”. He points out the glaring disconnect (moderation) in their lack of acknowledgment that the “Negro is your brother”. All arguments and calls for acceptance from the clergy have centered on the made law and addressed in the manner of compliance to desegregation because it is now the law, but Dr. King states he had yet to hear anyone say, follow the law because it is the right and moral thing to do and because the Negro is your brother. This puts the argument squarely where it should be, on biblical terms. Dr. King closes with no malice, but an acknowledgement of the shared faith when he says “I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith” and that he hopes to someday meet with them as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, was a classic case of broken promises which lead Dr. King to apply pressure to a point of the other party so much so that they had no option but to sit down and come to a binding agreement. If this would have been violent instead of nonviolent, the outcome and the willingness to come together more than likely would not have

happened.