Letter from Birmingham
Civil rights epistle
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a 1963 open letter by Martin Luther King Jr., written while imprisoned for participating in nonviolent protests against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama.
Addressed to white clergymen who called his demonstrations "unwise and untimely," the letter defends civil disobedience and argues that individuals have a moral duty to disobey unjust laws.
It remains a foundational text in American civil rights history and the philosophy of nonviolent resistance.
- MLKCivil rights initials
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- civil disobediencePeaceful refusal to obey
- direct actionConfrontational political tactics
- jailDetention facility
injustice · segregation · nonviolence · Alabama · 1963 · protest · clergy · conscience · disobedience · oppression · freedom · march · peaceful · resistance · moral · urgent · sit-in · arrest
Letter from Birminghamprepared speech
Pre-written verbal presentation
inaugural address · Gettysburg Address · fireside chat · presidential address · keynote speech