Letter From Birmingham Jail

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What was segregation in the US? Where was it lawfully allowed? What were the historical roots of segregation? What were some examples of segregation in public life?

Teaching Suggestion: Discussion and investigation for this question provides historical context regarding the era in which King was actively working as a civil rights leader. This topic connects to US History classes covering the Civil Rights Era. Students should be able to note which demographics of people were subject to the segregation laws that began just after the American Civil War (Black Americans and other people of color), in what states and regions segregation laws existed, the roots of segregation (former slave states and Jim Crow laws), and how segregation affected the public sphere (e.g., with public places like bathrooms, drinking fountains, and restaurants).

• This summary on “Jim Crow Laws” from Britannica provides a succinct overview of the causes and effects of these laws on southern US states.
• This article from History.com on “Segregation in the United States” provides a thorough overview of continued segregation post-Civil War.