Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr were civil right leaders who were well respected for their ideas. However, they had differences that would impact the success of their initiatives. Malcolm X had superior solutions for a strong centralized black community and a stable black economy, while King’s ideas made more sense in terms of his nonviolent philosophy and push for an integrated education system.
Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela were two influential figures that have both made a cultural impact on black history. The fact that their lives run parallel further stresses the significance of racial equality. However, they each influenced the world around them with their respective ideologies and beliefs. Their opinions and experiences differed in terms of equality and character throughout their movements. Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela both tried to achieve similar goals of equality but on different paths.
The philosophical differences between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X have to do with the their protest strategies. MLK never fought with violence. Although he would get physically attacked, he stood his ground and continued to fight for equality peacefully. King believed that whites and blacks should come together to end the hate and violence. MLK’s “I have a dream” speech promoted the idea of integration. He believed that the races were created equal and that blacks should be respected as American citizens.
The Civil Rights Movement 1950s and1960s consisted of the efforts made by Civil rights activist to end racial segregation and discrimination. Even though basic civil rights for African America where granted through the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments of the United States Constitution (Franklin, 535-536). However, Jim Crow laws and institutionalized racism continued to oppress African Americans decades later and considered them second class citizen. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are probably the most prominent African American civil rights leaders of the 20th century. The two of them are icons of contemporary African-American culture and had a great influence on equality for not just African Americans but all races in America till this very day (Mintz, 30). Who lives where drastically cut short with the assassination of them before they could see their goals for the African America races achieved. Thought they had different philosophies they main goal was achieve equality between all races. They believe differently on the means to achieve their goals (the use of violence), the important of whites in achieving the Civil Rights movement and integration. Thought Dr.
While King had focused on loving our enemies, Malcolm X called us back to ourselves, acknowledging that taking care of blackness was our central responsibility. Even though King talked about the importance of black self-love, he talked more about loving our
Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were two influential men who served as important figures for the Civil Rights Movement. The two men came from diverse backgrounds and had contrasting views in life about religion and African American’s stance in society. Malcolm X was born in Nebraska and had great amounts of exposure to racism. Martin Luther King was born in an educated family in Atlanta, where he experienced racism, but to a lower extreme than Malcolm X. Although they passed away long time ago, they continue to live on today in a world independent of segregation. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X used opposing principles to achieve equality for blacks; King utilized integration of both races and nonviolence as opposed to Malcolm X who separated the same races and employed non violence so as to achieve the same goal.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are two profound African American figures in history. They both fought for equality and to better humanity. But, the tactics they used were very different. Their different views may have been rooted from the where they were raised. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in a middle class family and received a very solid education. Malcolm X grew up in a much lesser community. His neighborhood was violent and there wasn’t much schooling. Martin Luther King Jr. was always against violence, throughout his entire lifetime and believed using nonviolent forms of protest. King would even condone being nonviolent when he was hurt physically. Malcolm X used whatever form of protest he needed to get the job done and his
During the 1960’s there was a greatly increased in violence in America. There were riots, bombings, racism, and discrimination. Many African American were mistreated due to the racist people who intervened the African Americans from doing anything. Two civil rights activists wanted change for African Americans and were both fighting for the same cause, civil rights. MLK and Malcolm X both wanted equality but in different ways. Martin Luther King believed in nonviolence to end segregation. However, Malcolm X believed in segregation; where African Americans would govern themselves without bothering the whites. But which idea was better for society? Malcolm X’s philosophy offers a variety of solutions for
Martin Luther King Jr said,“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”. In the late 1960s, racial tension was high, African Americans were not given the right to vote, the right to a fair education, and the right to a fair judgement. This then led to the separation of schools and the destruction of a normal livelihood. Dr.King and Malcolm X, two men in the face of oppression rose up to challenge the racial barrier, thus changing the world forever. Although Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X seem to have mutual respect and an equal understanding of the inequality, their philosophies were quite different from each other. The men had contrasting ideas when it came to fighting for racial equality. Martin Luther King’s philosophies made more sense than Malcolm X’s philosophies, because King believed in working together and nonviolence protests to change the minds of the white society. Where Malcolm X believed in working separately to gain independence for the black communities, so
Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. A Brief History with Documents written by David Howard-Pitney is a great history book that gives us an entry into two important American thinkers and a tumultuous part of American history. This 207-pages book was published by Bedford/St. Martin’s in Boston, New York on February 20, 2004. David Howard-Pitney worked at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University in 1986, and that made him a specialist on American civil religion and African-American leaders ' thought and rhetoric (208). Another publication of Howard-Pitney is The African-American Jeremiad: Appeals for Justice in America. Howard-Pitney made this book interesting by representing
were African American males, fighting for Civil Rights during the 1950’s and 1960’s. while these two men did withstand much common ground, they often debated over violence. On one hand, Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a Christian home, where he was extremely religious, and followed in his father's footsteps as a pastor. Martin Luther King Jr. felt that violence did no good, it only caused more harm. Throughout his speeches and protests, he even elaborated on how insignificant violence and harm was in hurting others, besides physically. King believed in “peace, no violence, and unity between all” (www.biography.com). In contrast, Malcolm X was all for violence. Malcolm X was born into a Muslim household. He relied heavily on his faith and was extremely influential towards pushing others to join the Islamic community. During his journey Malcolm X even “grew the Islamic population in America from 4,000 to 40,000 members by 1960” (www.biography.com), proving his dedication to the Muslim faith. Throughout his speeches, he spoke about the importance of violence and how it was often necessary to endure such harm, once stating, “Power real power, comes from our conviction which produces action, uncompromising action” (www.biography.com). Although these two men differed in their thought on violence, they often agreed on how important their fights were. Without Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Civil Rights would have been nonexistent,
Over the course of the American history, black people were oppressed and treated unfairly. A few ways that society treated black people is by segregating them from white people, beating them up, and taking advantage of them. As a consequence, African Americans grew up in an environment were limited in their abilities, had hatred towards the white, and had a constant judgment from white people. These factors contributed towards the way society viewed African Americans, flawed, uneducated, and poor. Yet, a notable person who overcame these obstacles and made the most out of his experiences was Malcolm X. He made a dramatic change not only in American history but in African American rights.
During the tumultuous period of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, the goal for bettering the lives of African-Americans was desired by many. However, the means of attaining that goal, varied greatly among the representatives of the movement. The African-American civil rights efforts were spearheaded by men of peaceful protest for integration, such as Martin Luther King Jr., and in contrast leaders such as Malcolm X who expressed separatist ideals. Other groups of civil rights advocated took an outright violent approach, such as the Black Panthers.
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
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were both two African American civil rights activists who were very prominent throughout history. They fought for what they believed in but in vastly different ways. Martin Luther King Jr. was born to a middle class family and was well educated. Malcolm X, on the other hand, grew up in a rather hostile environment with barely enough schooling. Both their speeches, “I Have a Dream” and “The Ballot or the Bullet” may have shared some common traits, but at the same time, differed greatly in various aspects.