Letters from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King - Summary

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King makes a distinction between just/moral and unjust/immoral laws and makes the claim that unjust laws do not have to be obeyed. Segregation laws are unjust and therefore must not be obeyed. Furthermore, Negroes are prevented from voting and changing the laws and so the laws are politically and undemocratically unjust. These laws must be disobeyed openly so that their breacher, by breaking the law, illustrates the unfairness of it.

King cites precedents of civil disobedience that changed society for the better, and instances of unjust laws.

King is disappointed with the "white moderate" who is content with keeping the peace rather than justice, and so are resistant to the necessary tension that is a product of the civil rights revolution. They agree with the principle of equality but not to the actions that must be taken to achieve it. They think that blacks should wait before claiming their rights. He is grateful for the few whites that do join the black struggle.

King sees himself as standing in the middle of two opposing forces in the black community, the oppressed/complacent black whom inequality doesn't bother and the bitter and angry black who verge on violence. King aspires to find a middle ground in nonviolent protest.

Aside from a few exceptions, King is disappointed with the white church. Most of them have been cautious or even opposed to the struggle, claiming that religion is not concerned with social matters. He mourns the corruption of the church, that obeys the status quo rather than true Christian values.

The Birmingham police department has used violence and racism in nonviolent protests for civil rights. They were relatively mild and commended for that. King wishes that the negroes who stand up for their rights would be treated with the same commendation.



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