Diligent Work Today in America, every man, regardless of his race, is granted the right of freedom. However, there was a day when all men were not free. African men, forced to live in horrific conditions while being treated lower than animals, were purchased and traded among white men. Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass both lived during this dark time when slaveholding was common practice in America. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery, yet freed by the age of nine, thus living the greater portion of his life as a free man.
Both Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X went through many hardships throughout their lives. These two historical figures used reading and writing as an outlet to escape their unpleasant lives. Similarly neither of these men went to a traditional school or class to learn these monumental skills. Instead they each were motivated and worked hard to teach themselves how to read and write. Although both men used the same hobby as an outlet, how they learned to read and write differ completely.
Both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were effective leaders, but in their own ways. In “Waiting for Mr. Lincoln,” Russel Freedman tells us about how they both faced challenges growing up and made many important decisions that helped abolish slavery in the United States. In “Waiting for Mr. Lincoln”, Douglass showed his courage and determination as a leader. He walked into the White House unannounced and requested an audience with the president, despite the fact that he was a black man in a time during which millions of black people were still enslaved.
Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass shared the same purpose throughout the two excerpts. They thought that it was unfair for black people to be neglected from an education because of their skin color. However, the way they chose to address their audience was immensely different from one another. Malcolm X chose to use a more angry and harsh tone of voice in order to get his point across to the reader. He wanted his audience to see how he truly felt about black people not being able to receive an education.
Frederick Douglass and Malcom X created some of the most famous African-American pieces to ever be released. They were written to reveal how hard the process of learning to read was back during the slave era. Douglass had a chapter in his narrative ”Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” called “Learning to Read and Write,” it was written in 1845. Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read,” is an excerpt from,” the Autobiography of Malcolm X“. These two pieces were written more than a century apart yet several common themes can still be identifies.
During the Civil Rights Movement there were many influential and important people that lead the movement, but there was no better leaders than Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Even though they both acted differently and had different ideas they both had a common goal, they were both essential in reaching it. One reason they were both needed in the civil right movement is both had extreme views on how to do things. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that peaceful protests were the best way to do things and also the most effective. Malcolm X on the other hand believed we should do whatever we need to do to achieve our goals whether it is violent or nonviolent.
Did you know that Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass knew each other? Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass lived during the same time and had similar views. They both believe in equality. Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were two of the most prominent figures in American history during the 19th century. They were both influential leaders in their own right, with Douglass fighting for the abolition of slavery and equal rights for African Americans, while Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States during the Civil War and signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Malcolm X played a large role in the movements and activism of African-Americans. Similar to Dr. King his aim was to completely defeat racism. Although he had a similar goal to Dr. King his ways of approaching his goal was quite different. Malcolm X wanted to take a more aggressive approach compared to Dr. King, “Perhaps Malcolm X's greatest contribution to society was underscoring the value of a truly free populace by demonstrating the great lengths to which human beings will go to secure their freedom”(“Malcolm X Biography”). Malcolm X believed that people will need to show how much they wanted their freedom and will fight for it physically if they don't get it otherwise.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X held significantly different opinions about how to advance African-Americans in American society. Malcolm X believed in the use of force to accomplish goals, whereas King supported nonviolent means. The differences between the two leaders can be explained by their differing political views, upbringings, and beliefs. First of all, King believed the best strategy for achieving change was nonviolence.
The most important decision of a leader is the style of leading they decide to use when inspiring others, or providing a vision for the future. By looking at the past, it is proven that some leadership styles are guaranteed to be more effective than others. The leadership style of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights provides significant evidence of how different styles of leading can turn out to be a major success or defeat. Malcolm X’s leadership style included using violence to protest against violence and unequal rights, as well as supporting the segregation of African Americans and the whites. Martin Luther King’s style included nonviolent marches and protests against violence, and peacefully fighting for integrating the blacks and whites.
Two Great Men “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. ”- Thomas a. Edison Frederick Douglas and Booker T. Washington were both amazing civil rights activists. Frederick Douglas was a runaway slave who worked to end slavery.
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are American heroes with each exemplifying a unique aspect of the American spirit. In his recent study, "The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics" (2007), Professor James Oakes traces the intersecting careers of both men, pointing out their initial differences and how their goals and visions ultimately converged. Oakes is Graduate School Humanities Professor and Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has written extensively on the history of slavery in the Old South. Oakes reminds the reader of how much Lincoln and Douglass originally shared.
Although a century apart, Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Frederick Douglass’s What to a Slave is the fourth of July are kindred spirits. Notwithstanding the many differences in their respective writing styles, deep down the essence of the message conveyed is still very much the same. Both Martin Luther King Junior and Frederick Douglas had similar beliefs and concepts related to the treatment of the African American community. They both describe a tough yet heart breaking situation that makes them question their moral values and doubt the system and its ability to change for better.
In contrary to peaceful protest and marches led by Martin Luther King there were other leaders who had more radical approaches to protest. Amongst these radical leaders are Malcolm X, Robert Williams, and the Black Panthers. The Black Panthers, a group created by in 1966, by Huey P Newton and Bobby Seale protected black communities patrolling areas with loaded firearms, monitoring police activities involving blacks. Since they were known for carrying loaded firearms FBI Director J Edgar Hoover considered the Black Panthers “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States” (To Determine the Destiny of Our Black Community). The Black Panthers created the Ten-Point Program.
Furthermore, both Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass had to struggle to be able to read. It was their desire for education that kept their dreams alive; however, Frederick Douglass thought that learning how to read was a sin and he should have killed himself (Douglas 27). To Malcolm X learning to read and write was one of his greatest accomplishments because it gave him clarity on the blindness, deafness, and dumbness that was afflicting the black race (X 6). In comparison, both advocated freedom for their people but in contrast Malcolm X wanted complete segregation from whites but Frederick Douglas wanted unity.
