I disagree with Martin Luther King Jr. when he says in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" "...Socrates practiced civil disobedience." I will use background information to set the context, definitions of terms, and evidence from King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Plato's "Apologie", and Plato's "Crito" to demonstrate that while the actions of Socrates were similar and may have inspired civil disobedience, but he did not actually practice it. Socrates was born around 470 BC in Athens, Greece. He was a soldier in his early life and then dedicated himself to seeking the truth. Because of this research, Chaerephon, Socrates' friend, went to the Oracle at Delphi and told him that no one was wiser than Socrates. When Chaerephon said this to Socrates, SocratesThere are five main points. First, “nonviolent direct action [i.e., civil disobedience] seeks to create such a crisis and foster such tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” (King, 37). Second, the action must also break a law or social code “openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept punishment” (King, 40). Third, you must have a defensible reason for taking the action. Fourth, all your actions must be done with the intent to change the situation. Finally, you need to attempt negotiation first. Civil disobedience is a last resort option (King, 36-37) to force negotiation on an otherwise reluctant community or Socrates did not attempt to negotiate first, as there was no one to negotiate with. King clearly states that one must first try to negotiate, because nonviolent direct action is a strategy of last resort. Let's look at another point. Socrates began speaking to people following the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi. His speeches that caused all this animosity towards him began not because he wanted to change the status quo, but because he wanted to prove the gods wrong. He wanted to prove that he wasn't the wisest and so he ended up creating tension. On his trail, he tells Meletus "If my offense is unintentional... you should have taken me privately, warned me and admonished me... I should have stopped doing what I only did involuntarily - no doubt I should have..." (“Apologies,” 8). He is saying that if someone had told him what was happening, he would have stopped. He is not “trying to create such a crisis…that a community…is forced to deal with the problem” ( King, 37), just wants to find his answers and teach some people to think in a new way. Since, in order for one to talk about civil disobedience, actions must be done with the intent to change the issue, Socrates does not. suitable for this.