My dear Fellow Clergymen,

While confined here in the Birmingham City Jail, I came across your recent statement calling our present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all of the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would be engaged in little else in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine goodwill and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.

–“Letter from Birmingham Jail,”
Martin Luther King Jr.

What were King’s reasons for writing this letter? Check all that apply.

to respond to criticism
to ask for help with organizing a protest
to gain the support of other ministers
to criticize the work of other activists
to explain the reasons for his choices