Tension In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King jr. wrote this letter from the Birmingham jail on April 16, 1963. The purpose of this text is Martin Luther King jr contradicting the clergymen and explaining the suffering of the Negro lives. His point was to show that black lives are no different than white lives and how both communities are interrelated. As opposed to the clergymen who wanted negotiations instead of direct actions, MLK tried to show the need for direct actions to reach negotiations. For example he had said, “The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.” (King). He also argues against the fact that the clergymen called him an outsider. He rebuts with saying “...I was invited here because I have organizational ties here.” (King). King then later explained how “...racial injustice engulfs this community.” (King). He described how Birmingham was the the most segregated city in the United states due to brutality, Negroes having unjust court trials, and
He wanted peace for everyone and getting through with that using tension, but non-violence. He needed a tension that would force society to see the social injustice. MLK stated, “...there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.” (King). It is common knowledge that MLK wrote letters from Birmingham while in solitary confinement. This shows just how strongly he felt about this topic and the people he was trying to support. He took his readers seriously and took thought to their point of view. King tried to directly connect with the readers and supporters of this letter by giving an example of injustice in his life. He explained how the Negro community is still waiting for their constitutional rights and the segregation that was still occurring after 340 years, and how he had to explain to his kids why colored people get treated so differently than white