Question

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

But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.

Why does King use this allusion?
to compare two historic documents
to urge patriotic responsibility
to issue a call for action
to state a moral dilemma

Answer 1

to urge patriotic responsibility

King alludes to the First Amendment to remind readers of American principles and to appeal to their duty to uphold constitutional rights, showing that segregation ordinances violate the nation's own ideals.