Based on the details of the letter, what do you know about King's position and the events that prompted him to write this letter? What claim is he supporting in this argument?
King was determined to bring the Civil Rights Movement into the limelight where people would come to understand his message and the messages of the movement in a non-violent way. King needed the media, he needed exposure, but he didn't want violence, and he most certainly didn't want incarceration..... this letter stemmed from a response to being jailed, a response to criticism, in which he was publicly chastised by local ministers for taking part in a siutation without invitation.
The clergymen's open rebuke angered Kind and inspired this letter. His disappointment in their actions was obvious, I believe he saw their admonishment as betrayal. Non-violent protest was King's aim, but he didn't expect to see the police force get a pat on the back, while he and the SCLC were afforded nothing less than a slap in the face. King hadn't traveled to Birmingham to incite violence, as his detractors claimed, thus this letter became his response.
Letter From Birmingham Jail
