Summary of Martin Luther King message from jail

Dr. Martin Luther King junior wrote the Letter from the Birmingham Jail in 1963, in response to white clergymen who had criticized his views and his activism as extremist.

Explanation:

MLK wrote an impassioned response to the clergy who were criticizing his activism at the time. The white clergy felt it was better for black Americans to just accept the status quo and to stop pressing for change. The clergy called MLK's actions "unwise and untimely." He first tries to counter the notion that his position is extreme in the letter by describing black nationalism and some of the extreme propositions of that movement and he also contrasts his perspective from being passive and accepting of the status quo. He has dedicated himself to trying to advance constructive change using non-violence. But as he develops his letter he starts to embrace the notion of being called an extremist because it may be necessary to take an extreme position in order to advance real change. Since MLK was a church leader and he is addressing the critique of fellow clergymen, there are a lot of religious examples used in the letter.