Letter from Birmingham Jail
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1963
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 25 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Approachable1 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendWhy We Can't WaitBeacon Press, 2011King's own book about the Birmingham campaign, with the Letter as its centrepiece; the text is also freely available online.
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An open letter written in April 1963 while King was jailed for leading demonstrations against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, replying to eight white clergymen who had called the protests unwise and untimely. King explains why direct action was needed and why waiting has always meant never, distinguishes just from unjust laws with help from Augustine and Aquinas, defends breaking unjust laws openly and lovingly, and says his deepest disappointment is with the white moderate and the silent church. Begun on the margins of a newspaper.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Letter from Birmingham Jail are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
