Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail after he was arrested for participating in a non-violent protest against the racial segregation Birmingham’s city government allowed. King wrote the letter in response to eight white Alabama clergymen who believed the battle against racial segregation should be fought in the courts, not the streets. King disagreed and argued that the black people of Birmingham were left with no other choice but to fight discrimination wherever they encountered it.
New Jersey Student Learning Standards
- 6.1.8.CivicsPI.3.a: Cite evidence to evaluate the extent to which the leadership and decisions of early administrations of the national government met the goals established in the Constitution.
- 6.1.8.CivicsPI.3.b: Evaluate the effectiveness of the fundamental principles of the Constitution (i.e., consent of the governed, rule of law, federalism, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and individual rights) in establishing a federal government that allows for growth and change over time.
- 6.1.8.CivicsDP.3.a: Use primary and secondary sources to assess whether or not the ideals
found in the Declaration of Independence were fulfilled for women, African Americans, and Native Americans during this period.
Curriculum
- 3 Sections
- 3 Lessons
- Lifetime
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- Stage 11
- Stage 21
- Stage 31
Lesson Materials:
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