Letter From a Birmingham Jail Webquest Analysis Activity

Students will read and analyze Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" by answering 34 questions and completing a comprehension task relating to 5 themes within the text. A website is provided where students can access the letter due to its copyright status. The answers are included where appropriate. 

Sample questions include: 
--Explain 2 ways in which Martin Luther King, Jr. was not an “outsider.”
--Provide contextually appropriate synonyms or definitions for “cognizant” and “deplore.”
--Summarize the cause and effect of the broken promise. 
--Why might the direct action phase have been postponed until after the mayoral election?
--What type of tension did he see as needed for growth?
--Why would a direct action campaign have never be seen as, “well timed” by the segregationists? 
--Summarize why waiting was no longer an option for those seeking equality.
--If you could title this letter, what would you choose and why?

Click here for more resources from Stephanie's History Store