Why We Can't Wait

First lines

copies of Stride Toward Freedom, my book about the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56. As I signed my name to a page, I felt something sharp plunge force into my chest.

About this book

In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. launched the Civil Rights movement and demonstrated to the world the power of nonviolent direct action with this letter from Birmingham Jail. Why We Can't Wait recounts not only the Birmingham campaign, but also examines the history of the civil rights struggle and the tasks that future generations must accomplish to bring about full equality for African Americans. Dr. King's eloquent analysis of these events propelled the Civil Rights movement from lunch counter sit-ins and prayer marches to the forefront of the American consciousness.

Themes & subjects

About the author

Martin Luther King Jr.

15 Jan 1929 – 4 Apr 1968

Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American baptist minister and civil rights movement leader, most famous for his speech "I have a dream", assassinated, the son on [Martin Luther King, Sr.](/a/OL1654795A) (1899-1984).