...How Childhood Can Impact Adult Viewpoints Dawn Bradshaw ENG/220 September 7, 2015 Instructor Tracy Banis How Childhood Can Impact Adult Viewpoints Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were great civil rights icons. They both worked diligently for the equality of blacks, but on different platforms. When people think of Dr. King, they think of nonviolence, preaching love thy neighbor, and the integration of blacks and whites. On the other hand, Malcolm X brings thoughts of militant force, the infamous phrase, “by any means necessary” (Carson, 2005), violence, and segregation. While Martin and Malcolm’s common goal was fighting for the justice and equality of civil rights for blacks, their approach and viewpoints differed on the matter, and this is perhaps due to their early childhood and young adulthood experiences in racial relations. Both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X’s fathers were politically active Baptist preachers, but growing up in the 1920s was an entirely different experience for them, respectively. While Martin as an adolescent lived a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle, Malcolm suffered great tragedies. As the family slept, the home interrupted the pitch black night with blazes of fire set by two white men (Hatch 2001). Luckily, no one was hurt. Then, Malcolm’s father was brutally and savagely ripped away from him and his family by the hands, he believes, of the Ku Klux Klan (Hatch 2001). Subsequently, after losing the head of the...
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...Kim Schuchmann Diary Entry 1 Witness to the assassination of Malcolm X Unfortunately, I have witnessed one of the most influential people of my time life taken too soon. Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X became a powerful leader, especially among younger blacks, as a result of his intelligence, his oratorical skills, and his harsh, uncompromising opposition to all forms of racism and oppression (Brinkley, 2012, p. 817). Prior to his achievements Malcolm X was once a drug addict and a pimp who served time in prison. He soon joined the Nation of Islam, which was once an obscure black nationalist group. Malcolm X was one of the most notable civil rights activist. Among his many contributions to the civil rights movement, were instilling that African Americans and White Americans were no different and gave African Americans the courage to protect themselves and what they believed “by any means necessary” (The Learning Network, 2012). The Nation of Islam had a great impact on Malcolm X, he quickly climbed the latter in this organization and began preaching the word Black Muslims. Later on, he began to disagree with the leader of the Nation of Islam over the direction of the organization. In 1964, Malcolm X parted ways with the Nation of Islam and converted to traditional Islam. The organization he once cared and spoke for was what caused his tragic death. At 39 years old, on February 21 1965, “Malcolm X was shot to death inside the Audubon Ballroom in New York by assassins...
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...Martin & Malcolm & America In this paper, there will be a primary focus on two of the most prominent leaders during the civil rights era. These two leaders are Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. The paper will discuss how these extraordinary men made their phenomenal contributions to America by offering to bring about their own political, racial, and social views that were affecting the people of color. Their ability to voice their strong opinions about the injustices that were taking place among African Americans and the oppositions that were before them gave them the durability to prolong the fight for freedom and justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were both men of purpose, dignity, and pride. The ongoing effort they gave for the people and to the people helped them to earn the respect that has followed them for decades. For that reason, this paper will reflect the ways in which both men contributed to the African American culture and the shaping of America in an effort to bring about a change that was needed to move forward. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X had different political philosophies; however, they both went about using different methods to campaign for civil rights. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a champion of non-violent protests and peace marches. His speeches entranced both blacks and whites into action for the civil rights movement. MLK knew that if the blacks worked for peace, peacefully, then equality was inevitable. “What they...
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...Ever since the Reconstruction era after the Civil War there has been the issue of race and equality and rights. A movement occurred and two men gained power and influence the African American community. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X two men having experienced different things in their lives held different beliefs and morals and influenced people based upon those things. Martin Luther King Jr., came from a Baptist home with a fairly easy childhood, he was educated when he was younger and attended Morehouse College, an all black college, where he had several role models that shaped his beliefs. Malcolm X, on the other hand, experienced a hard childhood and used drugs and committed other crimes in his early adult years. While in prison he found a father figure in Elijah Muhammad and joined the Nation of Islam. There are many differences between Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X in the way they acted and influenced the African American community. This paper will look to describe their differing views and analyze their actions and their lives. In most cases a person’s childhood has a lasting affect on the rest of a person’s life. In comparing Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X this seems to be the case. Martin Luther King Jr., was born January 19, 1929 and was raised by a strong supportive family. He had a somewhat privileged life and “never experienced the feeling of not having the basic necessities of life.”[1] His father “was a community leader in Atlanta...
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...would it lead us in the future. Two people who are famous enough to change the racism in the whole nation. Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X they both have different perspective, but they shared the same goal. There are two differences which are their history and believes, and they shared the same faith. First of all, MLK and Malcolm X they have grown up in a different environment. MLK was very educated because his family could afford to pay for his schooling. In the other hand, Malcolm X grown up in unfavorable environment with barely any education. Although, both of their fathers was murdered which has a strong impact on them. In addition, MLK he believed that violence shouldn’t face with violence, and he would not use the violence even if he was been forced. However, some of MLK believes was related to christian faith. Also, Malcolm X is a muslim who has his own principle, and he believed to defend himself if the police officers try to attack him. Also, there is a famous saying “ by any means necessary”. After discussing the two differences between MLK and Malcolm X, we must not forget to mention some similarities between them. one of the important common things was that both of them have educated wives. However, eventually both of them was assassinated at the same age while they are looking for civil rights. In conclusion, MLK and Malcolm X the fact that they came out from different history and believes, but they share the same goal is very fascinated. Personally,...
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...In the Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm purpose is for the readers to understand his change in life. Throughout the first 11 chapters, Malcolm uses flashbacks to effectively draw the readers to understand how his life went from bad to worse. The author Alex Harley writes about Malcolm X’s life to show the readers that a long time ago that the African American society was divided, and did not have the same rights as others. Alex Harley gave us an overview on how racism was in the past and how people dealt with it. When Malcolm was born he was faced severe racism with the Ku Klux Klan and when they burned his family's home. They were forced to leave and go somewhere else. These bad events taking place in malcolm's life made him not only stronger but also a better person. The problems he faced, helped him build on his confidence. The author uses style in the text by showing us that they were using hip words for example dancing and how he was describing the zoot suit. He also used figurative language when he said “ Walking on my own coffin” ( Malcolm X Pg 149 ) for instance when he was saying this he was threatening a police officer and he knew it was dangerous but he took a chance and still decided to say it. The author uses syntax by separating the sentences by commas such as “ It was about two days later, when...
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...have made an immense impact. However, none of them can compare to the enormous amount of impact that Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had. Both men displayed a massive amount of courage while trying to put an end to racism when no one else dared to. They both stood up for what they believed in no matter how much they were ridiculed. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were two of the most recognized leaders in history who both had the same objective of putting a stop to racism but had several differences in their background, philosophy, and influences. Although they were alike in many aspects, the location and setting in which they were raised caused a distinction in the way they led. When Malcolm was six years old his father was killed by the Black Legionaries. This played an enormous role in his mother’s break down, which put her in a mental institution. Malcolm’s mother, Louise, could not handle raising eight children during the Great Depression, especially without their father. This is what led to six of the children becoming wards of the state. One of those children was Malcolm, who soon thereafter began to live a life of crime including drugs, con games, and thievery. Just before he turned twenty-one years old Malcolm was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison for burglary. In prison, Malcolm had to educate himself, and developed his debating skills, and pledged to replace black self-hate with black self-esteem (Treanor 107). The fact that Malcolm educated himself...
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...The 1960s was a time dealing with civil rights. There were many leaders during this time that had a huge impact on civil rights like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Both of these leaders were fighting for the rights of african americans, but they both had different viewpoints. MLK was a peaceful man, while Malcolm X was more aggressive. The two of these civil rights leaders had different philosophies but were both successful. However, Martin Luther King Jr. was more helpful during this time period. One reason Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy made more sense than Malcolm X’s philosophy is, Martin Luther KIng Jr. wanted to work together with whites to act upon segregation. For example, MLK said “With this faith we will be able to work...
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...Patrick Brown Mr.Challandes AP Language and Composition 24 February 2015 Malcolm X: Building Up the Fire of the Civil Rights Movement “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it” (Malcolm X). This quote from one of Malcolm X’s speeches embodies who he was as a person and what he valued. As a civil rights activist, Malcolm learned not to let the hate of others prevent him from living out his life the way he wanted. While others pushed a pacifist movement, Malcolm understood that there would be no peaceful way to resolve the civil rights issues. Malcolm was prepared to fight for his own rights, and even put his own life at risk. The impact that he had on the Civil rights movement was rivaled only by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and all of his ideas were culminated into one speech, called The Ballot or the Bullet. Malcolm X’s speech comes during April of 1963, a critical time during the American Civil rights movement, and Malcolm’s ability to target and rile up the emotions of his African-American audience is what makes his speech so powerful. During the 1960’s, America was a hostile environment for an ambitious African-American citizen. Although executive leaders, such as John F. Kennedy, were promising that they had been doing as much as possible to improve civil rights, not enough actual progress had been made to improve the lives of African-Americans. In 1963 alone, a year in which the civil rights...
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...it begins with the belief that you are worth defending. ¨ Malcolm X, who is a man that strongly believed in self defense, is one of the two leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. The other, Martin Luther King Jr. is a man who believes in nonviolence. Although Martin´s approach seems more mature, I believe that Malcolm X´s approach is more intelligent. As Malcolm X famously quoted, ¨I don't even call it violence when it's self-defense; I call it intelligence. ¨ I strongly believe that Malcolm X philosophy is better because he is a realist, believes people should work together to develop a strong community, and thinks that self defense is very important....
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...I read three books this semester and they definitely had an effect on me. The books I read were, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” “The Hiding Place,” and “Siddhartha.” I am going to focus on the first two I listed because those ones had the most impact on me. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was a true inspiration to me. Malcolm X, the main character in this book, tried to fight for equal rights for African Americans most of his life. He fought for what he believed in and I really liked that about him. Equal rights were a major issue in the twentieth century. I had a lot of respect for Malcolm X making a transformation from being a hustler in Detroit who did drugs to a religious Islamic man. What I found most surprising about this book was how drastically Malcolm’s view on white people...
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...| Dr.Martin Luther King vs. Malcom X | By John Green | ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are also two of the most famous civil rights leaders even though their methods were different they both had the same goal which was equal rights for African Americans. They were both religious leaders but Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was Christian and Malcolm X Islamic The first notable difference between them is that they came from very different backgrounds . Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in peaceful environment while Malcom X threw hardship and pain. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. King, both a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, beginning in the mid-1950s. Martin was a pacific man, his father was a southern Baptist preacher; and he as a young boy decided that was where his path was leading as well. While being a preacher he decided he wanted to be a civil rights leader, which began his journey as a well-known leader. His way of protesting was subtle yet effective. Martin’s long speeches often caught wandering people, and drew them into the crowd. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, and is the youngest person ever to receive it. He was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee; which led to many riots by the African American community. Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska...
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...was The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley. The book was published in 1965. The genre of the book is autobiography and biography. In this report I will be mentioning what the book is about and my opinion on the book itself. I will also be show the impact it left on me. The book is about the life of an African-American named El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz who later becomes Malcolm X. The book begins with his childhood and how his father was killed, his mother was thought to be crazy. Malcolm had to move with different residents due to the fact that the state took him and his siblings away. As Malcolm grew older he began to see how blacks were treated. In the 8th grade Malcolm was told by his teacher that it was foolish of him to want to be a lawyer. He said he should be a carpenter. Since then on Malcolm was never the same he decided to go live with his sister in Boston. There Malcolm become a hustler only being 16 he was already known in the streets. He began to sell dope, he became an addict & he committed armed robberies. Malcolm got arrested and was sent to prison. This is where his life changed. His brother sent him a letter telling him to become a Muslim and follow Elijah Muhammad. This opened Malcolm's eyes, this is where he began to see the real problem within blacks. He began to feel disgust towards the whites. In prison Malcolm read books after books on Muslim and any history that said the truth of how the whites treated the whites. Malcolm was a great follower of...
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...To what extent did the black power movement hinder the success of the civil rights movement? The black power movement branched off from the civil rights movement; however it had a very different approach then the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement had a peaceful nonviolent approach to the improvement of the black condition in America, where as the black power movement believed in using militancy and self-defence if provoked. The black power movement can be seen as a failure and an obstruction to the civil rights movement however the black power movement also had its success. An example of the success are the impact black power had on troubled black youths of the ghetto and the impact it had on black culture whereas an example of its failures among many are the division of the civil rights movement the alienation of white liberals and the corruption within the black power itself. The most important reason why the Black Power Movement was a failure to a fairly large extent was because it divided up the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement had, by the time the BPM emerged, achieved quite a lot, it had managed to get the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed. This proves that the movement had been successful and through the emergence of the Black Power Movement, members of the Civil Rights Movement got divided up over whether this was right or not. On the one hand, Martin Luther King, the head of SCLC one of the top organizations...
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...Kenya Davis Ms. Howard Sociology 02 March 2016 MLK Jr vs Malcolm X Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had many similarities and differences when it came to their roles in the civil rights movement. A huge similarity of the two is they fought hard for their people with getting treated bad. They both wanted to see black people in the best position possible. Risking their lives everyday for the rights they felt they deserve. They were both assassinated because of their leadership role positions they played during this time. Even though they had different beliefs/religions, both their religions played a significant role in their approaches. They both had the greatest impact on the civil rights movement during the 1960s. One of the main reasons why Malcolm X and MLK Jr is different is their approach to the civil rights movement. While MLK Jr wanted to keep the peace and have a non-violent protest, Malcolm X was very opposite. Malcolm X felt that if they wanted to be violent then so should his people. Also, MLK Jr thought more of people being equal and Malcolm X was more for his people being in high power and being controlled by themselves. Also, their religion was a extremely huge difference and had an impact on the way they went about things. MLK Jr grew up in a Christian home where his parents stressed necessary things such as education and religion. Malcolm X converted to Islam after being arrested for drugs and burglary. His outlook on things were far more violent...
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