Letter From Birmingham Jail

The author of the essay, Martin Luther King, Jr., was a Baptist minister who was a part of the leadership of the American Civil Rights Movement during the late 1950s and 1960s. King’s commitment to civil rights was the result of his Christian faith. Because of King’s faith and identity as an African-American minister, his voice in the essay includes language and imagery drawn straight from the Bible. His arguments in support of equality and nonviolence also reflect the importance of Christian morality to his worldview, and that of his primary audience.

King’s self-representation also reflects the reality of his political situation. While contemporary readers know King as a widely-respected historical figure whose legacy is celebrated every year in January, the King persona the readers encounter in the essay is a man on the defense, forced to confront criticism from peers, the eight Alabama clergymenwho reject the moral basis for the protests King helped to organize.

The tone in the essay is also variable because of the many challenges King faced in 1963. He expresses disappointment in the state of the church and the inaction of moderates, fear as he contemplates the inroads made by black nationalists, weariness as he considers his incarceration, and hope as he considers the possibility of racial justice.