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Letter From Birmingham Jail | Primary Source Essentials

Description

How does Martin Luther King, Jr. support justice and equality in “Letter From Birmingham Jail?” In this rapid-fire episode of BRI’s Primary Source Essentials, learn about the letter written by Dr. King while he was imprisoned for leading nonviolent civil rights demonstrations in Alabama in 1963, and why he thought people had a responsibility to follow just laws and a duty to break unjust ones.

Related Resources

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Excerpts of Letter from Birmingham Jail Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 16, 1963

The March on Birmingham

How did did the March on Birmingham impact the Civil Rights Movement?

Reading Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” | A Primary Source Close Read

How do you find the strength to stand up for what you believe in? In this Primary Close Read video, Kirk and Rachel are joined by Dr. Anika Prather, Professor in the Classics Department at Howard University and founder of The Living Water School, to read Martin Luther King, Jr's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." They explore the ways King planned to right the wrongs of injustice, and how he urged others to act. How does King's letter convey hope for the American story?

Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” August 28, 1963

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.