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Why We Can't Wait

Author Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Afterword by Jesse Jackson

Mass Market Paperback (Premium Mass Market)

$10.99 US

Berkley / NAL | Signet

4.25"W x 7.56"H x 0.61"D (10.8 x 19.2 x 1.5 cm) | 5 oz (142 g) | 48 per carton

On sale Jan 01, 2000 | 240 Pages | 978-0-451-52753-0

| Grades 9-12 + AP/IB

Sales rights: US, Canada, Open Mkt

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Classics > Classic Nonfiction
Nonfiction > Essays & Literary Collections
Nonfiction > History
Nonfiction > Politics > Domestic Politics

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Martin Luther King’s classic exploration of the events and forces behind the Civil Rights Movement—including his Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.

“There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.”

In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, was perhaps the most racially segregated city in the United States. The campaign launched by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights movement on the segregated streets of Birmingham demonstrated to the world the power of nonviolent direct action.

In this remarkable book—winner of the Nobel Peace Prize—Dr. King recounts the story of Birmingham in vivid detail, tracing the history of the struggle for civil rights back to its beginnings three centuries ago and looking to the future, assessing the work to be done beyond Birmingham to bring about full equality for African Americans. Above all, Dr. King offers an eloquent and penetrating analysis of the events and pressures that propelled the Civil Rights movement from lunch counter sit-ins and prayer marches to the forefront of American consciousness.

Since its publication in the 1960s, Why We Can’t Wait has become an indisputable classic. Now, more than ever, it is an enduring testament to the wise and courageous vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Includes photographs and an Afterword by Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

“No child should graduate from high school without having read this book. In telling the story of the third American Revolution, it is as integral to American history as the Declaration of Independence.”—Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, the son and grandson of pastors. He graduated from Morehouse College and Crozer Theological Seminary, becoming at age 25 pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He subsequently earned his PhD from Boston University. In 1957 he and other civil rights leaders founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization he led until his death. A proponent of Gandhian principles of nonviolence, he led many protests and demonstrations for civil rights, including the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 29, 1963, where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Winner of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, he continued to fight for civil rights, the eradication of poverty, and the end of the Vietnam War. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. View titles by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Educator Guide for Why We Can't Wait

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

With an Afterword by Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

Introduction
1. The Negro Revolution - Why 1963?
2. The Sword That Heals
3. Bull Connor's Birmingham
4. New Day in Birmingham
5. Letter from Birmingham Jail
6. Black and White Together
7. The Summer of Our Discontent
8. The Days to Come

Afterword
Selected Bibliography
Index

About

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Author

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