Question

17. What was the title of the document Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote to explain his philosophy? -

Selma Voting Rights Address -

The Table of Brotherhood -

Letter from Birmingham Jail -

Poor People's Campaign

Answer 1

Answer:  Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote the letter in 1963 while in jail for his role in protests in Birmingham against racial discrimination.  In the letter, King explained his philosophy of non-violent resistance, and appealed to other Christian leaders to see this as an ethical issue that needed their attention.

In the letter, addressed to "My Dear Fellow Clergymen," King balanced religion and patriotism by placing biblical calls for justice side by side with the need for justice in regard to civil rights in America.  He asserted that if we truly act on our religious convictions, we will apply those convictions to matters of justice in our relationships with our fellow citizens.

Some examples of how Martin Luther King, Jr., applied assertions about justice from the Bible and church fathers to America's need for justice in regard to the civil rights movement:

• He said he was had come to Birmingham because injustice existed there, in the same way that Old Testament prophets had left their own towns and villages to go and confront injustice in other towns in their day.
• He quoted Saint Augustine, who said that "an unjust law is no law at all," to support his point that we have a moral obligation to disobey unjust laws.
• He pointed to how the early Christians were "disturbers of the peace" because they challenged the existing morals of a morally bankrupt society, and called upon Christians today to act with the same sort of conviction.

King's letter was addressed particularly to white clergymen, who kept saying the civil rights activists should settle down and be patient.  King brought forth powerful religious arguments to say that men of Christian conviction could not stand by idly while injustice continued to be perpetrated.