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Doc of the Day: MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
04/16/10
One of the most important documents of the civil rights era, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, was written on April 16, 1963. King had been arrested for organizing a series of nonviolent protests against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. He used his time in the city jail to compose an open letter to a group of white clergymen who had questioned the wisdom of the protests. In his famous letter, King eloquently explains the principles and purpose of civil disobedience in bringing about social change. He argues that people have “a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” because “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Read MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.’S LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL