What are the claims Martin Luther King makes in his "Letter From Birmingham City Jail?"

The letter, written on April 16, 1963, is addressed to Martin Luther King’s fellow clergymen and tries to explain his presence in Birmingham while also addressing various criticisms made by these people towards him. He claims that there are racial injustices in Birmingham in the form of brutality, segregation, unfair treatment of African Americans within the judicial system, unsolved bombings of black homes and churches, and so on. He states that his presence in Birmingham...

The letter, written on April 16, 1963, is addressed to Martin Luther King’s fellow clergymen and tries to explain his presence in Birmingham while also addressing various criticisms made by these people towards him. He claims that there are racial injustices in Birmingham in the form of brutality, segregation, unfair treatment of African Americans within the judicial system, unsolved bombings of black homes and churches, and so on. He states that his presence in Birmingham is based on an invitation by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights to be available to engage in a nonviolent call for action against the appalling racial conditions in the city.

He claims that nonviolent direct action is important as it creates the tension necessary to force a society that has repeatedly refused to negotiate deal with underlying difficult issues. He states that historically, privileged groups rarely give up their privileges easily, unless when pushed into action.

He states that they aim to disregard all laws that are unjust, such as the segregation statutes that “give the segregator a false sense of superiority, and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.” This is in response to criticism leveled towards his group and its willingness to “break laws.” He states that his group’s actions are meant to bring to the surface the underlying societal problems—to expose existing injustices.

In response to calls for patience in agitation for justice, he states that “human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.” He denies claims that his and his group’s actions are extreme, stating that theirs is a point between two existing stances: one agitating for inaction, the other standing for hatred and despair.