Letter From Birmingham Jail

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46 pages • 1 hour read

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Reading Check

1. “‘unwise and untimely’” (Paragraph 1)

2. collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action (Paragraph 6)

3. negotiation (Paragraph 10)

4. “outlawing segregation in public schools” (Paragraph 15)

5. “openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty” (Paragraph 21)

6. because most of them have been directly opposed to his work (Paragraph 35-36)

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Short Answer

1. King notes that the “white power structure” in Birmingham has left little choice for the Black community other than nonviolently campaigning for change. They were largely ignored by leaders in the community and were given false promises by business owners to improve the situation. As a result, they decided to prepare to take direct action. (Paragraph 5-8)

2. For King, groups are harder to convince to give up unjust acts, while individuals may do so voluntarily. (Paragraph 12)

3. A just law supports human personalities, while an unjust law “degrades” it. (Paragraph 17)

Negative peace is the “absence of tension,” while positive peace is the “presence of justice.” King is disappointed in white moderates because they prefer negative peace, and continually tell Black voters to “wait” for a better time to make their case heard. (Paragraph 24)

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Letter From Birmingham Jail

Letter from birmingham jail critical thinking questions.

According to Dr King, does direct action hinder negotiation?

King anticipates that the clergymen might wonder whether continued negotiations would be a better tactic than “sit-ins, marches, and so forth.” Dr. King answers the rhetorical question by insisting that negotiation is the best tactic, and that “non-violent direct action” is designed explicitly to force negotiation. However, the means of such direct action is to create “crisis” and “tension” so that negotiations become necessary (172).

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Letter From Birmingham Jail

9th - 12th grade.

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12 questions

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  • 1. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt To whom is the Letter from Birmingham Jail addressed? ministers who criticized King's efforts whites who arrested King for no reason his coworkers in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference his wife and his lawyer

Why was King in Birmingham?

he was invited to help fight the segregation there

he lived there

he gave a speech there but drove over the speed limit on his way out of town

he picked Birmingham as the next place to hold a non-violent protest

  • 3. Multiple Choice Edit 1.5 minutes 1 pt Why use non-violent direct action? to force people who refuse to negotiate to confront the issue because they can't afford weapons it's easier than trying to negotiate to avoid speaking to the people who are causing the problem
  • 4. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt According to King, history shows that... people don't like to give up their power. people easily listen to others and change their behavior. social change happens quickly, not over time. equality can never happen.

King challenges other ministers to see the struggle for equality as...

a moral concern.

a political concern.

a personal concern.

not their concern.

  • 6. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt King believes that resentment and frustration over racism should be channeled into... non-violent direct action. violent protest. religious belief. political discussions.

Why does Dr. King say that he is answering the clergymen?

They have acted in an unwise way.

King uses letter-writing to bring about change.

Their letter shows them to be extremists.

He believes them to be sincere and good.

What counterargument does Dr. King present to the advice to wait?

Democratically elected officials would not require African Americans to wait.

Socrates would not have waited under the same circumstances.

African Americans already have waited for more than 340 years.

The 1954 Supreme Court decision has made it impossible to wait.

Which statement is a position of Dr. King's opponents?

Racial injustice in Birmingham must be stopped at all costs.

The Boston Tea Party was an act of civil disobedience.

Dr. King's peaceful actions are wrong because violence results from them.

Demonstrations are necessary to break down segregation.

What is the basis for King’s argument against the idea that he is an outsider who came to Birmingham?

He was born in Birmingham.

He has many relatives in Birmingham.

He has organizational ties in Birmingham.

He went to college in Birmingham/

According to King, the purpose of direct nonviolent action is to...

end the bombings of homes and churches.

create tension so that people have to confront an issue.

halt the activities of both merchants and consumers.

draw the sympathy of the religious community and moderate whites.

  • 12. Multiple Choice Edit 2 minutes 1 pt The main focus of Dr. King’s speech is getting more money for America’s black population convincing everyone to live in peace and tranquility celebrating the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation ending segregation and racial injustice in America

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  1. Letter From Birmingham Jail Critical Thinking Questions Answers

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  2. Critical Analysis of "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

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  4. ⇉Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Example

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  1. Letter from Birmingham Jail Abridged

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  4. MLK Letter from a Birmingham Jail tribute

COMMENTS

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    Terms in this set (25) Letter from a Birmingham Jail Main Point. "In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, MLK Jr. expressed his frustration with white moderates who preferred order over justice. He also addressed the need for more direct action and less talk. MLK Jr. believed that a peaceful future was only possible when humanity recognized the ...

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    Letter from a birmingham jail quiz. Get a hint. Why did he write the letter? Click the card to flip 👆. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. felt that his critics were people were people of genuine goodwill and wanted to answer them in patient and reasonable terms. Click the card to flip 👆. 1 / 8.

  4. Letter from Birmingham City Jail Questions and Answers

    Letter from Birmingham City Jail Questions and Answers - Discover the eNotes.com community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on Letter ...

  5. Letter from Birmingham Jail: Study Guide

    Overview. Written from a Birmingham, Alabama jail cell in 1963 in response to criticisms from eight white Alabama clergymen, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" is a key document of the Civil Rights Movement and an important contribution to American history. Across this powerful work, King details the ...

  6. Letter from a Birmingham Jail (article)

    Google Classroom. Full text of "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. 16 April 1963. My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas.

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    The Question and Answer section for Letter From Birmingham Jail is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. what injustices does dr. king describe in the letter from Birmingham jail. Dr. King provides a moral reason for his presence, saying that he came to Birmingham to battle "injustice.".

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  9. Letter From Birmingham Jail Reading Questions Answer Key

    Short Answer. 1. King notes that the "white power structure" in Birmingham has left little choice for the Black community other than nonviolently campaigning for change. They were largely ignored by leaders in the community and were given false promises by business owners to improve the situation. As a result, they decided to prepare to ...

  10. Letter from Birmingham City Jail

    Expert Answers. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and put into jail in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 12, 1963, he received a copy of the April 13 edition of the Birmingham Post Herald ...

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    Critical Thinking Questions Letter from Birmingham Jail. To receive full credit your answer needs to be in multiple sentences. These are not questions that should be answered with quick responses. King faced criticism for being in Birmingham as an outsider. Explain this criticism, and his response to it. (His rationale for being there).

  14. Letter From Birmingham Jail

    he was invited to help fight the segregation there. he lived there. he gave a speech there but drove over the speed limit on his way out of town. he picked Birmingham as the next place to hold a non-violent protest. 3. Multiple Choice. 1.5 minutes. 1 pt.

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