king reading Flashcards
Why did King write this letter?
To respond to white clergymen who criticized the civil rights demonstrations as “unwise and untimely.”
To defend nonviolent resistance and explain its necessity in fighting segregation.
Why was King in Birmingham?
He was invited by local civil rights leaders.
He believed in fighting injustice everywhere (“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”).
What are the four steps of nonviolent direct action?
1️⃣ Collection of facts – Confirming the existence of injustice.
2️⃣ Negotiation – Attempting to resolve issues peacefully.
3️⃣ Self-purification – Preparing for nonviolent resistance.
4️⃣ Direct action – Protests, sit-ins, and marches to force confrontation with injustice.
📌 Goal: To create constructive tension that compels negotiation.
Why did King reject the argument to “wait”?
White moderates urged patience, but King argued that waiting perpetuated injustice.
Key Quote: “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
Described the suffering of segregation to show why immediate action was needed.
What is the difference between just and unjust laws?
✔ Just law = Aligns with moral law, uplifts human dignity.
❌ Unjust law = Degrades human personality, enforced unfairly.
✔ Key Quote: “An unjust law is no law at all.” (St. Augustine)
📌 Example: Segregation laws were unjust because they created inequality.
Why did King justify civil disobedience?
✔ Moral obligation to resist unjust laws.
✔ Historical examples of civil disobedience:
Biblical figures resisting tyrannical rulers.
Socrates challenging unjust traditions.
Germans who resisted Hitler despite “legal” Nazi laws.
📌 Lesson: Legality is not the same as morality.
Why did King criticize white moderates?
❌ White moderates valued order over justice.
✔ Key Quote: “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”
📌 Main problem: They supported civil rights in theory but opposed direct action.
Why did King embrace being called an “extremist”?
✔ At first, he rejected the label, but then embraced it positively.
✔ Examples of “extremists” for justice:
Jesus (“Love your enemies”)
Abraham Lincoln (“This nation cannot survive half slave and half free”)
Thomas Jefferson (“All men are created equal”)
📌 Key Question: Will we be extremists for love and justice, or for hate and oppression?
How did King respond to praise for the Birmingham police?
❌ He rejected it, exposing their brutality against Black protesters.
✔ Police upheld segregation, so their “order” was actually injustice.
✔ Key Quote: “It is wrong to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.”
What was King’s final message?
📌 Hope & faith in justice.
✔ The Civil Rights Movement aligns with America’s ideals & God’s justice.
✔ Key Quote: “One day the South will recognize its real heroes.”
