Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" is one of the most important epistles in American literature, and it provides one of the most powerful arguments in American history. Responding to white clergymen who urged MLK to be patient and wait for change, MLK forcefully argued that the time for waiting was over. Although much of MLK's rhetoric is uplifting, this letter is not full of the "feel good" MLK quotes that politicians love to use. Rather, the "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" challenges so-called "moderates" to stop sitting on the sidelines and take action.
Letter from the Birmingham Jail
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