Letters from a Birmingham Jail flashcard set

When was this letter written?

16 April 1963

What does the line “Just as the prophets of the eighth century BC left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns reference?”

Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah -- prophets who carried God’s message throughout the Kingdom of Israel.

What does the line “just as the apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town reference?”

Apostle Paul

Wrote many books of the New Testament – most were letters to churches he had helped establish

and with whom he maintained communication (Galatians, Philippians, Romans, Corinthians,

Colossians, etc…)

What does the line “Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian calls for aid reference?

Macedonian call for aid

The citizens of Philippi, in Macedonia, were among the staunchest Christians. Paul went to their

aid frequently and often had to resolve bitter disputes within the Christian community there.

What’s the aphorism MLK makes in paragraph 4?

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere.”

What are the 4 steps MLK’s protestors must undergo?

collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action

What does paragraph 8 (the paragraph about the Birmingham mayoral election when MLK took a break from protesting) make an allusion to?

Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham, Alabama, dedicated to maintaining segregation

What does the line “Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary t o create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.”

Socrates

Ancient Greek philosopher who upset social norms by posing difficult philosophical questions

that caused people to examine their lives and beliefs. He was tried in an Athenian court and

ordered to drink poison (hemlock). Instead of escaping Athens, he accepted his sentence and

died.

What does the line “we are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham. While Mr. Boutwell is a much more gentle person than Mr. Conner, they are both segregationists, dedicated to maintenance of the status quo.”

Albert Boutwell

One of three candidates for Birmingham mayor in 1963. When no candidate secured enough

delegates, the city had a runoff which Boutwell won. Bull Connor and other city officials

refused to leave office and were forcefully removed by the Alabama Supreme Court on May 23,

1963.

What does the “millenium” part of the passage about Albert Bouwell represent?

Millennium

A reference to Revelation 20, according to which the Second Coming of Christ will be followed

by 1000 years of peace, when the devil will be incapacitated.

What does the line at the end of paragraph 10 that quotes Reinhold Niebur (“groups tend to be more immoral than idviduals” reference?

Reinhold Niebuhr

An influential Protestant theologian known for his attempt to relate the Christian faith to the

reality of the modern political world.

What does the usage of the quote “justice too long delayed is justice denied” an allusion to?

“Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” – Said by Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court,

Earl Warren in 1954.

Who does MLK reference when quoting “an unjust law is no law at all in paragraph 13?

St. Augustine (354-430)

Christian theologian, bishop of North Africa. Extremely weighty authority of the early Christian

church.

What does the line “an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law” reference?

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

The greatest medieval philosopher, considered by Roman Catholics to be their most important

theologian.

What does the line “segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philospher Martin Buber reference? (Bruber says that segregation substitutes an “I it” relationship for an “I thou” relationship and ends up relegating the persons to the status of things?”

Martin Buber (1878-1965)

Jewish philosopher who described a relationship that stresses the mutual, holistic existence of

two beings.

What does the quotation of “sin is separation” reference?

Paul Tillich (1886-1965)

German-American Protestant philosopher who addressed Christian existentialism.

What biblical allusion does paragraph 18 use to prove MLK’s point that some laws should be broken?

King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a golden statue and required all to bow down and worship it

or suffer death. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to break the Old Testament law

forbidding idolatry and were thrown into the furnace. However, they emerged from the furnace

unharmed. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed that the God of these men was the one, true

God.

What is the white council that MLK references when writing about his disallusionment with the white moderate?

White Citizens Council

White supremacists that met openly and worked to maintain segregation, though they would not

resort to violence (sometimes referred to as a ‘civilized’ version of the KKK).

Who does MLK reference as an instigator of a “bitter” and hatred filled movement?

Elijah Muhammad

Leader of the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims) who advocated for an independent nation for

African Americans. He also felt that a violent war was coming that would re-establish Black

rule over the now dominant White society.

Who does MLK reference when he quotes Amos saying wasn’t he considered an extremist when quoting “was not Amos and extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream?

Amos

8 th century B.C. prophet who warned the Israelites that the Lord was displeased with their

behavior.

“Was not Martin Luther an extremist: here i satnd, i can’t do otherwise, so help me god.”

Martin Luther

Leader of the Protestant Reformation, nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church,

attacking abuses of the Catholic Church.

What does the line “i will say in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience reference?”

John Bunyan

Christian writer of the 1600s, wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress. He was imprisoned in 1660 for

preaching without a license.

“Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification?

Governor Barnett Ross

Democratic governor of Mississippi from 1960 to 1964 who opposed James Meredith’s

admission to the University of Mississippi.

“Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred?

Governor George Wallace

Governor of Alabama who pledge “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation

forever” in 1963 and stood in front of the entrance to the University of Alabama to denounce the

enrollment of two Black students. He used violence to break up peaceful demonstrations in

Birmingham and later in Selma.

“The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.”

T.S. Eliot

A poet, dramatist, and literary critic who was born in Missouri but moved to English and died a

British subject, thus renouncing his American citizenship. This quote was taken from his play

Murder in the Cathedral, which deals with the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket.