Similarities Between Martin Luther King Jr And Malcolm X

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were two powerful men who served as important icons for the Civil Rights Movement. The two men arose from diverse backgrounds and had contrasting views in life about beliefs, religions, and African American’s stance in society. Malcolm X was born in Nebraska where he was exposed to racism and racial violence. Martin Luther King was born in an educated, middle class, family in Atlanta, where he experienced racism, but not to the same extent as Malcolm. Although they passed away a long time ago, their legacy still lives 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

was the leader of peaceful protests and nonviolence for the segregation among blacks and whites. The Montgomery Bus Boycott led to the rise of King’s prominence as a civil rights leader, creating a vast amount of attention brought towards the challenges and struggles of the civil rights. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, while using nonviolent protest as catalyst towards King’s movement. King’s actions during the Montgomery Bus Boycott displayed the power of nonviolent protest to impose and culminate racial segregation. This boycott was the foundation to end segregation once and for all. King demonstrated leadership skills throughout, in which he educated the entire world that nonviolence was the best tactic to solve any problems, even though it takes longer. Although it was not the first protest of its kind, it was the most significant one of them all. In King’s memoir of the boycott, Stride Toward Freedom, King labeled the principle of nonviolence as, “The guiding light of our movement.” He had determined that he would not make use of bodyguards despite the several threats placed on him. Instead, he used compassion and nonviolence to overcome the several threats like bombing. Finally through his experiences with nonviolence, he came to the realization that nonviolence can become one’s way to live life regardless of the

“King abhors violence; as at Selma, he constantly retreats from situations that might result in the deaths of his followers.” Due to King’s dislike of violence, he often does his best to keep himself and most importantly his followers away from things that can lead to and result in violence. In his memoir, Stride Towards Freedom, he created six principles of nonviolence which stated, “First, nonviolence requires courage and not passiveness, Second, nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understand the adversary, not defeat them. Third, nonviolence seeks to eliminate injustice, not people. Fourth stated willing to accept suffering for a cause, but never inflicting it. Fifth claimed no hatred or violence along with the refusal of physical violence. Lastly, the sixth principle called for having faith that justice will triumph.” Following these principles of nonviolence could often lead to punishment for oneself rather than the others, but according to King, it had to be followed to reach the end result: Freedom of blacks and loss of segregation. In order to gain something, one would have to lose something. The tactic of nonviolence would display his followers and himself as moral beings, doing the right thing. After his journey to India, he acquired a stronger understanding of his nonviolent tactics and the several things he could accomplish with his