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1. churches during dr. kings period (norms)
name 5 things

2. what did king expect from religious leaders . name 5 things

King's letter, with its criticism of the white clergy opposition, made them look as if they were opposed to the civil rights movement.

But their positions were more nuanced than that, said Samford professor Jonathan Bass, whose 2001 book, "Blessed are the Peacemakers," focuses on the writing of King's letter and the personal stories of the eight clergy King addressed.

In January 1963, those same clergy had signed a letter in response to Gov. George Wallace's harsh segregationist rhetoric, warning it could lead to violence.

"They were widely hailed for being among the most progressive religious leaders in the South," Bass said. "They got a ton of hate mail from segregationists. All of them were harassed because of that statement."

In 2001, Samford University gave an honorary doctorate to the Rev. Earl Stallings, pastor of First Baptist Church of Birmingham from 1961-65, who was one of the eight clergy addressed by King in the letter. The Rev. John T. Porter, pastor of the historic black Sixth Avenue Baptist Church from 1961-99 and a friend of King, also received an honorary doctorate that day.

Both Stallings and Porter died in 2006.

Porter said in 2001 he understood the difficult historical position the white clergy group found itself in.

c.to compare several aspects of the tragedy to other worldwide tragedies