Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter from Birmingham Jail - Essay Example King wrote a letter in response to criticisms he had received while in prison. He was responding to the critics of nonviolence means and injustices before the law. He addressed his letter to his fellow clergymen who termed his actions as unwise. He said that he was trying to answer their criticisms in realistic terms. His response begins by expressing the reasons for his presence in Birmingham. He added that his presence in Birmingham is because he is invited for organizational ties. He refutes the accusations of his fellows who had argued that he is an outsider in Birmingham. King says that his desire to end injustice like the eighteenth century prophets drove him to Birmingham. King accuses the leaders of criticizing his acts of peaceful demonstrations, yet they could not address the conditions that fuelled the demonstrations.King says that, any nonviolent campaign involves four steps; assembling of facts on the existing injustices, meditation, self- purification and real action. F acts about the situation must be established, and brutality identified. Campaigns require facts, not guesswork and are meant to change the existing conditions of injustice and not personal gain. He argues that Birmingham is the most segregated city in the United States, leading in brutality and unjust treatment of Negroes. He added that the Negro fathers had tried to negotiate with the city leaders who refused to listen to them. The promises made to the clergy leaders by the city fathers were unfulfilled.