The African American Civil Rights movement existed at large between the early fifties and the late sixties in a society that was constantly on the verge of social destruction. The black rights movement existed politically, socially, and economically everywhere in the United States. As time progressed the movement developed and saw many changes along with schisms separating activists and how they approached getting their rights. In the early fifties there was a large non-violent integration based movement spearheaded by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. However, as the time progressed, the movement started seeing a more aggressive leadership with figures such as Malcolm X, but eventually it turned into an extremist movement
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. The leadership style of Martin Luther King Jr. earned him to be recognized as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Therefore, Malcolm X should have changed his leadership style to work with Martin Luther King Jr. because his way of fighting for civil rights was strategically thought out and ultimately effective.
Malcolm X was an American Muslim leader who contributed to the Civil Rights Movement by spreading his ideas of black nationalism in the 1950s and early ’60s. He was an influential figure in a black Islamic organization, Nation of Islam, and served as a spokesperson for the organization. He was assassinated on February 21, 1965 while making a speech in Harlem. After his death, his life story was made well-known through his autobiography, The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) (Mamiya 1). Malcolm X is a man whose background and activism contributed to the Civil Rights Movement and America as a whole.
Malcom X urges the Negro community to fight to gain the equal rights they deserve by taking action against their white oppressors. He emphasizes that blacks will gain their rights either thorough voting, with the ballot, or else through the inevitable violence with the bullet.
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
Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X were great revolutionary leaders. Their motives inspired others to be against the segregated 20th century. Frederick Douglass is famous for writing “Learning to Read”. The intended audience would have been anyone. Learning to Read was written in 1845 and it is a narrative. This narrative gives us insight into how difficult or impossible it was for people of color to learn how to read and write. Malcolm X is famous for his autobiography called The Autobiography of Malcolm X and specifically the passage about learning to read in the memoir. The intended audience is colored people and in general the public. The autobiography was written in 1965. Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass have very similar yet different
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
Malcolm X followed Muslim principles and believed that he would protest “by any means necessary.” He would do whatever needed in order to obtain freedom for African-Americans whether it be violence or nonviolent. Malcolm opposed integration and believed that blacks needed to fend for themselves in the fight against whites. His aim was for blacks to be completely separated from the other races so that they could develop their own homeland. His ideas proved to be controversial. Although his leadership was helpful in terms of spreading black nationalism, his ideas of “complete segregation’ wasn’t prefered by many.
Throughout the American 1960’s there was a Civil Rights Movement. This movement gained a lot of traction within a short amount of time through many people. There were two leaders with opposing tactics but had the same goal reined in the movement. One leader was Martin Luther King with the tactic of Nonviolent Civil Disobedience and integration. The second leader was Malcolm X with the tactic to fight back and to have the communities better themselves by being separate. Martin Luther King’s philosophy was the best for the 1960s American by his idea of integration, economic standpoint, and Nonviolent Civil Disobedience.
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.
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
Focusing specifically on the opposition of racial segregation, The Civil Rights movement symbolized the need for change across America. Between the years of 1950 and 1960, events such as; the March on Washington, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, speeches, protests, and sit-ins, directly defined such opposition. Due to such events, two outstanding leaders of their time, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X emerged into the public eye and began to impact the Civil Rights movement. At a turning point of the century, the two men took charge and became icons across the world while resonating significantly with African American minorities. With such in mind, the two men had extreme differences in their morals, ideals, and religions; however, both deemed
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.
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
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