Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was an African-American Baptist pastor who was destined to become one of the greatest people in the world to preach social reform from injustice by non-violent means. Martin Luther King accomplished this through a steadfast belief that non-violence was the way to achieve equality. Rev King had the foresight to envision that the one day boycott that he lead would someday have far reaching implications. “With no certainty that the one-day bus boycott on December 5 could be sustained long enough to succeed, twenty-six-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr., predicted that the protest sparked by Rosa Park 's arrest would have lasting historical significance”1 Martin Luther King became involved in the protest movement …show more content…
Rev King said “I agreed at once that some sort of protest was necessary, and that the boycott method would be an effective one”2 At the same time that Martin Luther King was preaching non-violence as a way to achieve equality, other prominent African-Americans were preaching that African-Americans should fight injustice with any means necessary, including violence. One of the most prominent African-American on this side of the question was Malcolm Little (Malcolm X). Malcolm X, like Martin Luther King, was a pastor. He, however, looked at society and the ways to fix it in a completely different way. Martin Luther King once said of Malcolm X “I feel that he has done himself and our people a great disservice”3. Malcolm X eventually showed why Martin Luther King 's ethical style of leadership was so important during this era of civil rights. Malcolm X was a pastor in the Nation of Islam and worked closely with the leader Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X became disillusioned with the Nation of Islam when he discovered that the leader was not living up to the ethical principles that the leader was preaching. Malcolm X was able to deal with the differences between himself and Rev. King, however he was not able to do the same when it came to the moral
In the essay named “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Junior, He uses many great approaches to many different problems faced in his time. The fact that he wants to use a nonviolent approach to solve these problems is not only an admirable thing to do but also the right thing to do. Instead of using violent means to make his points, he instead uses things such as sit-ins, marches, boycotts, and many other ways to peacefully make his point. This in turn breaks the cycle of hatred between the races at that time. If he had used other means, then the problem would have only escalated and gotten worse.
King Jr. uses character and ethical appeals to make the clergymen of Birmingham feel at least a little amount of sympathy. He uses words like painful, never, and demanded to explain the devastating times that he as an African American faced. In response to the segregation and injustice African Americans faced, King Jr. led the Birmingham Campaign. This campaign was the start of equal justice across the whole United States. I believe that King’s philosophy of nonviolence was the reason hundreds of people volunteered to be a part of this protest.
While Malcolm X is trying the approach of attempting to get the African Americans to buy their own businesses instead. One of Martin Luther King Jr's tactics is boycotting the businesses, while Malcolm X specifically stated he did not want to use that tactic and those similar to it. As stated in his speech, " ... They won't have to constantly be involved in picketing and boycotting other people in communities in order to get a job. " On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr stated, " Along with the march as a weapon for change in our nonviolence arsenal must be listed the boycott.
Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist who campaigned against social injustice across the country by protesting for equal rights for African Americans. Dr. King used a form of nonviolent protest to emphasize his message of equality to the white community, and by doing so inspired the black community to follow his lead. The group of men who wrote a letter to Martin Luther King Jr. were eight religious individuals who were called clergymen, that disagreed with the civil rights movement. While Dr. King was in jail they wrote a letter, that stated the peaceful protests were ineffective, caused problems in Birmingham , and was poorly timed to go forward with protesting. Dr. King responded to the clergymen while he was incarcerated
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. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights movement. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Martin Luther King Jr. came from a line of pastors in his family, and from the beginning, he was on his way to becoming one himself (Martin Luther King Jr.).
preached nonviolence his whole life sought for change to all the social injustices in the world during the civil era time by using nonviolent methods. Between his innumerable speeches marches, speeches, and movement as a whole King showed the world how using nonviolence to “fight” these social injustices was not only the right way but the only way to get equality. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail on April 16th, 1963. This famous letter proved to every person in the United States that his true strength and belief he has to use to try to eradicate segregation. During King’s prime, he urged for African Americans to stop being passive and to stop have obedient patience.
knew that it was time for the people to fight back, but fight back peacefully. He said that Justice too long, was Justice denied, which preordained that something had to be done now. Martin Luther King Jr. did everything for his people, even get arrested. However, when he did get arrested during a protest in Birmingham, he did not stop encouraging the rest of the demonstrators. In a letter to his people from jail, he confers about the major injustice that is happening in this part of the country, and he reassures them that with the help of the lord, justice will be established.
Martin Luther King, Jr. attempts to persuade clergymen to follow in his civil rights movement through exhibiting his knowledge over just and unjust laws, displaying peaceful behavior, and empathetic diction. King was very knowledgeable about laws and his right as a human. King stated laws in his letter to the clergymen, which displayed his credibility. He did not only state laws, he also stated just and unjust laws. King stated, “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?”
Malcolm X didn’t agree with what King’s views, he believed that MLK’s dream was not a dream but a nightmare. Martin Luther King Jr’s approach to civil rights and equality was non-violent protesting, sit-ins, and getting as much people together as possible while not using violence. However, Malcolm X’s approach to this was almost the opposite. He was against the views of whites and he was willing to do whatever was needed to achieve
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.
In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. King addresses his fellow peers for calling his protest ending segregation “unwise & untimely”. King hopes to clarify their actions in this letter. Dr. King couldn’t remain mutual while in other places across the United States horrendous segregation acts were taking place. He said, “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly”. Like many before him, he too felt the need to help his fellow brothers and sisters’ fight for their cause.
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.
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.
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
Though he is still seen as a controversial figure, I believe that Malcolm X was one of the most compassionate figures in history. He once said, “I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.” I really admire how he fought for what he believed in. Initially, I learned about Malcolm X in my AP English Language class, but I was reintroduced to his influence on the modern day black society in my college history class. Prior to being reintroduced to his philosophy in my college history class, I thought that X was a violent, racist man.