A Critique of King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail".
was an extremely important figure in the African-American fight for civil rights. He was an advocate of peaceful protest and firm believer that all people should have the same rights. King was a very active protestor; some even called him an extremist. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written from inside a cell in Birmingham Jail. King was arrested for one of his protests in that city and thrown in jail. The letter is to King's fellow Clergymen who wrongly called his recent activities "unwise and untimely". If it were not for people like Martin Luther King Jr., society would still be as segregated as it was in the 1950's and 60's.
Segregation was everywhere, but it was the strongest in the south. Every state had its own laws for "dealing" with the blacks. Whenever a new state legislature was elected, hope rose that the laws would be repealed, but this was unlikely since the blacks were not allowed to vote. Nearly everything in the south was segregated from schools, to diners, to restrooms. King found it disgusting that even black children were not allowed to use the same facilities as whites, " when you suddenly find yourself twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children,- (King, 146). King's protests usually involved a march, a sit-in or picketing. King was criticized for his actions because they were illegal and he was thrown in jail numerous times.
King uses the excuse that his actions were just since he was fighting an unjust law. He defines segregation and unjust laws like this "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.