The letter urges attention to the conditions that brought about the demonstrations rather than only to the demonstrations. He notes that nonviolent campaigns always include four basic steps: 1) collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist, 2) negotiation, 3) self-purification, and 4) direct action. He also states that Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States, with brutality, unjust court treatment of blacks, and many unsolved bombings of blacks' homes and churches. He also emphasizes that nonviolent direct action, through marches and sit-ins, is intended to produce negotiations. He distinguishes between just and unjust laws, cites examples of civil disobedience in past history, and argues that religious leaders and organized religion should be strongly involved in civil rights efforts.