We began our study of the Civil Rights Movement by identifying the Constitutional foundation in the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. I distinguished the function of the due process clause and the equal protection clause for this analysis. Regarding equal protection, I then outlined the sliding scale of scrutiny employed by the courts to determine if a law violates the equal protection clause emphasizing that the strict scrutiny test applies to laws that impact race, religion, gender , and origin. We then discussed the role of Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights Movement by studying his famous. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." I discussed direct action, the purpose of direct action, and King's arguments in favor of non violent direct action even where the action might constitute a violation of law.