Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of the text. Based on what he writes in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,
” how has living as an African American man in a segregated society affected Martin Luther King Jr.'s viewpoint? It has taught him that all white people are selfish and untrustworthy. It has led him to believe that African Americans must actively seek to end racial injustice and oppression. It has proven to him that change cannot be forced upon society by those who are unhappy or oppressed. It has helped him see that the only path to justice and equality is through violent resistance and revolution.
King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was a response to a letter published in a newspaper decrying the demonstrations and calling them "unwise."
Here, King talks about how important it is for African Americans to fight for his rights and to end racial segregation. He understood that it was up to them to end the discrimination, since all the clergyman and the white moderates who supposedly believed in his cause didn't like the "tension" and unrest caused by the protests.
