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<br />-3- <br /> <br />prominent white Birmingham clergymen, in a statement called "An Appeal <br /> <br />for Law and Order and Common Sense," critized blacks for disobeying the <br /> <br />law, King felt obliged to respond. <br /> <br />"An individual who breaks the law <br /> <br />that <br /> <br />conscience <br /> <br />tell s <br /> <br />him <br /> <br />is <br /> <br />unjust <br /> <br />and <br /> <br />who <br /> <br />willingly <br /> <br />accepts <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />penalty <br /> <br />of <br /> <br />imprisonment <br /> <br />in <br /> <br />order <br /> <br />to <br /> <br />arouse <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />conscience <br /> <br />of <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />community over its injustice," said King in his memorable "Letter from <br /> <br />Birmingham Jail," "is in reality expressing the highest respect for the <br /> <br />law. " <br /> <br />The early summer of 1963 was filled with planning for the March on <br /> <br />Washington for Jobs and Freedom, <br /> <br />sponsored by the Urban League, <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />NAACP, <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />American <br /> <br />Negro <br /> <br />Labor <br /> <br />Council, <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />National <br /> <br />Council <br /> <br />of <br /> <br />Churche s , <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />National <br /> <br />Catholic <br /> <br />Conference, <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />American <br /> <br />Jewish <br /> <br />Council, SNCC, SCLC, and other groups. <br /> <br />On August 28, more than 250,000 <br /> <br />people of every race and creed marched on Washington. <br /> <br />The leaders met <br /> <br />with President Kennedy and then several spoke to the assembled crowds. <br /> <br />King <br /> <br />electrified the <br /> <br />audience with his <br /> <br />now-famous <br /> <br />"I have <br /> <br />a dream" <br /> <br />speech. <br /> <br />"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of <br /> <br />former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit <br /> <br />down together at the table of brotherhood.... I have a dream that my <br /> <br />four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not <br /> <br />be <br /> <br />judged by the color of their <br /> <br />skin, <br /> <br />but by the <br /> <br />content of their <br /> <br />character. <br /> <br />This is our hope. <br /> <br />This is the faith that I go back to the <br /> <br />South with--with this faith we will be able to <br /> <br />hew out of the mountain <br /> <br />of despair a stone of hope." <br />