Letter to Birmingham Jail

In Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, he explains to his

fellow colleagues in the clergy why he chooses nonviolent direct action during the

civil rights protest.

Martin Luther King Jr., the president of the Southern Lendership

Conference was asked by an affiliate in Birmingham to be on call to engage in a

nonviolent direct action program. King complied because of the injustice and felt

it morally necessary to take part in the elimination of segregation.

King's nonviolent campaign had four basic steps: collection of the facts to

determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification...