Letter from Birmingham Jail

E2651
civil rights document essay open letter political text

Letter from Birmingham Jail is a landmark 1963 open letter by Martin Luther King Jr. defending nonviolent civil disobedience against racial injustice and articulating the moral urgency of the civil rights movement.

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All labels observed (5)

Label Occurrences
Letter from Birmingham Jail canonical 8
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" 2
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf civil rights document ⓘ
essay ⓘ
open letter ⓘ
political text ⓘ
addresses white clergymen in Birmingham ⓘ
argues unjust laws are not true laws ⓘ
author Martin Luther King Jr. ⓘ
cityWritten Birmingham, Alabama, United States ⓘ
surface form: Birmingham, Alabama
countryOfOrigin United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
criticizes the notion of "wait" for civil rights ⓘ
white moderates ⓘ
dateWritten 1963-04-16 ⓘ
defends civil disobedience ⓘ
direct action ⓘ
nonviolent protest ⓘ
discusses constructive nonviolent tension ⓘ
difference between just and unjust laws ⓘ
extremism for love and justice ⓘ
role of the church in social justice ⓘ
famousQuote Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. ⓘ
Letter from Birmingham Jail self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Justice too long delayed is justice denied. ⓘ
One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. ⓘ
includedIn many college and university curricula ⓘ
influencedBy Christian theology ⓘ
Gandhian nonviolence ⓘ
Henry David Thoreau ⓘ
St. Augustine ⓘ
St. Thomas Aquinas ⓘ
natural law tradition ⓘ
language English ⓘ
medium written on scraps of paper and newspaper margins ⓘ
movement American civil rights movement ⓘ
surface form: civil rights movement
placeWritten Birmingham city jail ⓘ
primaryTheme critique of gradualism ⓘ
critique of white moderates ⓘ
interconnectedness of communities ⓘ
moral responsibility to oppose injustice ⓘ
nonviolent civil disobedience ⓘ
racial justice ⓘ
reasonWritten to justify civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham ⓘ
to respond to criticisms of being an outsider and extremist ⓘ
recognizedAs classic of political philosophy ⓘ
landmark text of the American civil rights movement ⓘ
respondsTo A Call for Unity ⓘ
targetAudience clergy ⓘ
general American public ⓘ
white moderates in the United States ⓘ
writtenDuring American civil rights movement ⓘ
Birmingham campaign ⓘ
year 1963 ⓘ

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Martin Luther King Jr. → notableWork → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
Letter from Birmingham Jail → famousQuote → Letter from Birmingham Jail self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Birmingham campaign → associatedDocument → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
Birmingham campaign → dateOf → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
this entity surface form: Letter from Birmingham Jail 1963-04-16
Martin → authorOf → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
subject surface form: Martin Luther King Jr.
A Call for Unity → inspiredWork → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
A Call for Unity → hasNotableResponse → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
Project C (Confrontation) → notableDocumentAssociated → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
this entity surface form: "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
Birmingham city jail → associatedWithDocument → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
subject surface form: Birmingham City Jail
this entity surface form: "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
Why We Can’t Wait → includesText → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
Why We Can’t Wait → notableChapter → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
Paul Hardin Jr. → influenced → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ
this entity surface form: Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
Paul’s Letter to American Christians → relatedWork → Letter from Birmingham Jail ⓘ