AP U.S.

Government M6L6 Notebook

Foundational Document: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter From
Birmingham Jail
Your Name: Kenta Yap

INSTRUCTIONS: Follow the prompts, which are in red, and respond in the white sections. Each section matches a part of your
online lesson. Write in complete sentences and include details from the lesson or text as much as possible.

Read Letter From Birmingham Jail

AND
Watch this Video Breakdown
1. To whom did King write the letter? Where did he write it? Why? What had he done?

King wrote this letter as a response to eight white clergymen who condemned the protests by
black people. He wrote the letter in his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama after getting arrested for
the illegal assembly of black protestors in the streets of Birmingham.

2. To what accusations against him does King respond? There are multiple accusations King cites in the first
several pages of the Letter. Explain them individually. Summarize his responses.

King responds to accusations that the protests were “unwise and untimely”. King responded to accusations of
his presence in Birmingham with the rebuttal that he is a US citizen, and thus is allowed anywhere within the
US and that he must do something to fight the injustices occurring in the town. Another accusation was that
his willingness to break the law is a threat to society, to where he responded with the fact that sometimes
breaking the law is the right thing to do .

3. King offers a description of what constitutes a just law several times, in different ways. Cite as many as
you can find, by quoting the descriptions with all the necessary elements of attribution. How does King
distinguish a just law from an unjust law?

King calls a just law a law that “is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of
God”. He also defines it as laws that “uplifts human personality”. He then calls an unjust law is one
that “is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law”, “is a human law that is not rooted in
eternal law and natural law”, and “degrades human personality”.

4. King speaks of different kinds of obligation citizens have regarding their behavior in relation to the
system of law and to unjust laws. Cite examples, quoting or paraphrasing from the texts, including the
necessary elements of attribution.

King firmly believes that laws are rules that must be followed by good citizens and human beings. However, if
a law is unjust, it is okay to break the law in hopes of change. He cites Adolf Hitler as one man who despite
followed the law of Nazi Germany, was exteremely unjust and evil in the way that he approached things. He
then cites the Hungarian Freedom Fighters, who despite breaking the law, were doing it so that their country
could be liberated.

5. What is the concept of civil disobedience as you understand it from King? Cite examples, quoting or
paraphrasing from the “Letter,” including the necessary elements of attribution.

King indicates that civil disobedience is a necessary evil that must be practiced to bring attention to the
injustices faced by the African-American community in the country. He hopes it is a means to an end to open
negotiation so that these sorts of grievances could be solved in a more proper manner, and until then, he will
continue to break the law to bring attention to his fight.