Question

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist.

King includes this sentence to
praise the efforts of local police.
clarify the purpose of his protest.
distinguish himself from those who break the law.
define the term “segregationist.”

Answer 1

distinguish himself from those who break the law.

He is distancing his nonviolent protest from the actions of "rabid segregationists" who evade or defy the law, making clear he is not advocating lawlessness.