Injustice In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Throughout the first 21 paragraphs of King’s letter from Birmingham jail he develops the central claim of injustice in Birmingham. He justifies his claim by describing unjust laws and how the white moderate is hurting their cause and how the oppression that African-America’s faced in Birmingham. Creating these central claims, King emphasizes Birmingham’s cry for help to release them from the injustices. King describes the unjust laws to support how there were injustices in Birmingham, that were used to maintain the status quo. For example, King states “an unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law”, he specifically chose the word moral because the white moderate, or the clergy men are religious figures who identify with the moral code. In addition, he states “an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law” which he uses to describe how it’s naturally wrong, and unreasonable for them to put these laws into place, and it only serves the purpose to help the ones enforcing and creating the laws, helping them maintain the status quo. These unjust laws that are put in place in order
Furthermore, King states “the white power structure of this city left the negro community with no other alternative” by preaching patience and valuing “order” over “justice,” moderates have ensured the continuation of segregation. King’s disappointed that the white moderate’s do not realize that the black man causes tension, in order to reveal society’s underlying tension by taking direct action against injustice. King warns that moderates will one day feel remorse for having settled with “silence” instead of taking action against the injustice that the black community had