Chapter 21, The Firestorm, Summary and Analysis

King's life had changed drastically at the conclusion of Birmingham. King was welcomed everywhere he went like a returning war hero. King was invited to a rally in Los Angeles. After making a fine speech, he went to a reception in the home of Burt Lancaster, where many of celebrities present made donations to the SCLC in the form of large amounts of cash. King then went to Chicago, where again thousands of dollars in donations to the SCLC were made. King suddenly found himself a much in demand speaker, a celebrity of sorts.

At the same time, the Kennedy Administration was dealing with the international and political fallout of the Birmingham crisis. The Soviet Union had aired thousands of commentaries on the Birmingham crisis. When Kennedy sent a message to a summit conference of the independent...