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King was arrested over 20 times during the course of various Civil Rights demonstrations on charges such as loitering, trespassing and disorderly conduct. City officials often used the police to deter Civil Rights protesters.
King's most prominent stay in jail came in the rigidly segregated Birmingham, where 40 percent of Birmingham's population was African-American. Successfully bringing down segregation in Birmingham, King believed, would be a key victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
After King helped organize marches and protests in Birmingham, the police began arresting protesters, including King, for demonstrating without obtaining a permit from the city.
Rather than pay a fine, King chose to go to jail in Birmingham to bring attention to the movement. While there, he wrote the celebrated "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail" on newspaper and other paper scraps; the letter argued that disobeying an unjust law was a religious and moral imperative.
While King was in jail, President John F. Kennedy placed a call to his wife, Coretta, reassuring her that King was safe. This call signaled that Kennedy, who had been hesitant, was ready to offer more support for the Civil Rights Movement.
"The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society"; Gary B. Nash et al.; 2004
HistoryNet.com: Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail"
"Martin Luther King Jr."; Katie Kubesh et al.; 2009
University of Pennsylvania: Letter from a Birmingham City Jail
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