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Letter From Birmingham Jail Act

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In April 1963, the city of Birmingham, Alabama, was caught in the midst of massive civil rights protests. Protestors advocating for desegregation brought the city to a halt with widespread disruptive yet peaceful protests. After a circuit court placed an injunction against protesting, parading and picketing King was arrested for his involvement. While in jail King received a letter written by eight Alabama clergymen criticizing King for his disruptive protests and the breaking of laws which lead to his arrest. In response King wrote an open letter explaining his actions that would be known as “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In his letter Dr. King effectively addresses an unsympathetic audience by focusing on building his credibility rather than seeking an emotional response.
The largest challenge Dr. King faced in writing his response was that his audience did not respect him. As a result of the laws he devoted himself to protest, Dr. King was a second class citizen. To the white clergymen he was addressing he was both socially and legally inferior. The feeling of supremacy that the clergymen, and many other whites, had toward blacks at the time made them largely unsympathetic to their plight. To avoid appearing pitiful or even pathetic he maintains a calm and authoritative tone. Even though the clergymen were harshly critical of his activities and methods King responds in a collected manner “I feel that […] your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer

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