Initially, when I first read "Letter From Birmingham Jail," I was greatly inspired. My reaction was one of extreme respect for Martin Luther King Jr., as well as for all of the action that he took to get his voice heard and his ideas across. I enjoyed the work because it phenomenally painted a portrait of the cold, hard truth about what the African American race went through during that time, and it showed Martin Luther King Jr's thought process and beliefs. When reading about why he was in Birmingham Jail and the point that he was so strongly trying to make, I felt both deeply saddened by the situation yet so appreciative of how strong this man was during such a difficult struggle and the action that he and his followers took to try and make everything just. At first, I was wondering what the specific reason was for the direct action program. I soon learned, however, that the purpose was to create a situation of crisis so strong that negotiation would have to take place. My other inquiry was what Martin Luther King Jr's overall purpose in writing this letter was. After reading it over and reflecting upon it, I learned that he wrote the letter to the clergymen to share everything that he believed to be true about the situation; he wrote it to speak his voice. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. This is an extremely important line because it shows Martin Luther King Jr's strong value that illustrates the idea that one should always strive to act in "just  manners. In his eyes, one injustice can be detrimental to the entirety of justice itself. "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." This is important because it shows how strong and adamant the African American race was when they were trying to gain their freedom and speak their own voices. "Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. This is