letter from birmingham jail questions
"white moderate" = ...
"common man;" these people would rather keep order than justice
global/national/local examples of nonviolent protests
-attempts at removal of stores' humiliating racial signs -sit-ins -march on washington -bus boycotts
"freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed"
-attention has to be brought to the eye of the oppressor -rising up to injustices needs to occur
why king decides to delay actions
-bull connor (commissioner of public safety) had enough votes to be in run-off —> postpone actions until the day after run-offs so that demonstrations could not be used to cloud the issues
examples of civil disobedience
-christians refusing to obey unjust roman empire laws -boston tea party -helping jews in nazi germany
"constructive nonviolent tension" = ...
-creating tension between races -protesting saying they'll meet the racism and prejudice
what are the questions he asks to those who believe that peaceful protests precipitate violence? how do they appeal to logic?
-describes how blacks are peacefully protesting but still facing punishments -white moderates are being illogical by wanting to persecute peaceful protesters
"who is their god?" = ...
-everyone conforming is betraying their religion
"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"
-everyone is affected (whether directly or indirectly) by injustice -those who ignore birmingham's injustice may face threats to their justice later
how does king link the goal in birmingham to the goal of america?
-freedom -incessant fight against oppression
what have noble souls done and why are they important?
-joined struggle for freedom -walked highways in the south -left secure congregations -suffered same punishments as people of color
how king answers charge of being an outsider
-nobody in the united states is an outsider -he was invited/has organizational ties
"wait" = ...
-oppressors say wait to delay the black civil rights movement "wait" really means never
"all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows" = ...
-people and church-people aren't speaking out for what's wrong conformity
what happened when christians believed god over man?
-people suffered for their beliefs -people strived to obey god
moral means preserve immoral ends by
-police mostly being nonviolent in public = act to keep order
what does king wish the clergymen had done?
...
4 basic steps of nonviolent direct action
1. collection of facts 2. negotiation (removal of offensive signs) 3. self-purification 4. direct action
5 examples to show that waiting will not help their cause
1. lynching of black parents 2. drowning of siblings 3. police brutality 4. black eternal presence under poverty 5. black children not being able to go to white places
what 5 examples does king use to disprove that police kept order and prevented violence?
1. police let dogs bite unarmed blacks 2. push and curse at women and girls 3. slap and kick boys and men 4. refused to give black people food 5. treatment of blacks in city jails = inhumane
what are 3 examples that he gives of people who deserve commendation?
1. those who attend sit-ins 2. james merideth (first black at university of mississippi) 3. old, oppressed women
breaking unjust law lovingly = ...
be proud, gladly accept punishment <— shed light
king using example of a boil and how it relates to hidden tension
boil = difficult tension blacks face and how it continues to be suppressed hidden tension = ignored but still alive
"i hope this letter finds you strong in faith" = ...
church should support him in the fight
just law = ...
coincides with moral law and law of god; uplifts human personality
king's reasons for being in birmingham
evident injustice in the city
king's views on mr boutwell
gentler than bull connor but still a segregationist
unjust law = ...
goes against moral law; degrades human personality
"if i have said anything in this letter..." =
he doesn't want to seem overly insistent and does not want any false statements made about him; apologizes for anything that is going to be misconstrued/misunderstood
"lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection" = ...
king thinks that being a bystander and not helping is worse than rejecting
"those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern" = ...
ministers are forgetting their religion and would rather keep order than have justice
is king threatening negro community?
no, he is warning them and telling them to not ignore the struggles
king is not an extremist, he's in the middle
one side = adjusted to segregation other side = bitterness, hatred, and violence middle = king
"the archdefender of the status quo" =
the ministers defend racial injustice by not doing anything about it
why does king say that he wrote such a long letter?
there's not much to do in prison other than have long thoughts and prayers and write long letters
what does king think about people sitting at counters?
they are taking a rightful stand for equality; this is what founding fathers and god want for america
what does king argue about the law and democracy and the effect of negroes unable to register and vote?
they have no say in laws that directly affect them = unjust law it's not democratically structured
king's thoughts on time
time = neutral; time does not heal all wounds
in king's eyes, how is the church now?
weak, ineffectual, and silent
