...His/145 | Civil Rights Movement | Malcolm X and Martin Luther King | Rose Carr 3/7/2010 | Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were very important to our country’s history. They are revolutionary men. They fought battles against a bigoted nation. They fought for what they believed was right. The two gentlemen however fought very different battles although they seem to be fighting the same prejudice. If you ask anyone today, that remembers the movement, ‘Who was Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr?’: the opinions you will hear will be quite contrary to each other. The two men were very influential in American culture. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were able to use the media to allow their voices to be heard. I will be explaining the reasons why these two gentlemen fought such extreme battles fueled by passion and hate. The media have always been a presence during the movement of the 60’s. During the time of the movement the nation was glued to the media. Martin Luther King, Jr., is known for his non violent manner for leading a protest. As Martin Luther King led his followers, he taught them protest with respect and dignity. Martin Luther King once said, in regard to his non violent approach, “Violence, as a way of achieving racial justice, is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win...
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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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...Martin Luther King and Malcolm x Martin Luther King and Malcolm x were leaders of the African American community in the 1960’s. Martin Luther King was a Pastor. Malcolm X was a member of the Nation of Islam. Martin Luther King did a Boycott Movement against segregated public facilities. Malcolm X spoke out for black Muslims. In the 1960’s black people’s lives were controlled by the white population. I think Martin Luther King was a better leader because he stood for hope peace, and equality with white people. Martin Luther King grew up in a wealthy family and a comfortable home. He had a wonderful life growing up. He became a Baptist preacher. He was a good preacher. His faith led him to want to help people. He was even arrested when he led a boycott against segregated buses. As a leader, he preached about hope and peace between all races. He focused on equality for all people. He spoke with optimism about the future. He won the Noble Peace Prize. Martin Luther King was respected around the world. Unlike Martin Luther King, Malcolm X had a tough...
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...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 was later reflected in his speeches when...
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...Malcolm X is evoked as one of the greatest and influential African American figures, at the same time degraded for the violence he provoked as well as his black supremacy teachings. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the other hand, is recognized as the greatest influential character in the black Civil Rights Movement, with teachings of non-violent resistance and equal rights for blacks and whites. After spending several years in prison, Malcolm converted to the Muslim religion and utilized newspaper columns, radio, and television to convey the Nation of Islam's (NOI) message. King strived to gain credentials from his audiences by everything from his tone to quoting biblical figures. Malcolm X was not able to influence the black community as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. Due to their differences in childhood and religion, their philosophies differed, causing supporters to accord more with the statements of Martin Luther King, Jr. Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, to Earl Little, a Baptist minister; and to Louise Norton Little, a housewife busy with the family's eight children. Earl Little was a supported of Marcus Garvey, the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). This prompted the Little family with death threats and by age four, Malcolm's Lansing, Michigan home was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl Little was murdered by a white mob. Louise trying to keep the family in order, suffered an emotional breakdown and was...
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...instrumental in improving relations with the USSR and improving civil rights in the US. He is seen as one of the greatest presidents America has ever had. The speaker of the second speech is Martin Luther King, and he is probably the most famous person associated with the civil rights movement. The speaker of the last speech is Malcolm X, who was another prominent figure during the Civil Rights era. Malcolm X gave an alternative view to the movement, where he advocated for the establishment of a separate black community (instead of integration) and for the use of violence in self defense. 2. Compare the main ideas of each of the three speeches. What do they have in common and where do they differ? JFK's Civil Rights Address was the first time that a president called on Americans to recognize civil rights as a moral cause to which all people should contribute. The main idea of the speech was that Americans should work together to finally end discrimination against and provide equal treatment to African Americans. Martin Luther King's speech, "I have a dream" was not only about equality for blacks and whites, but for equality in general. He wanted not only tolerance, but acceptance. The main idea of the speech was for equality for everyone, no matter their skin color. Lastly, Malcolm X's speech, "The ballot or the bullet," was more focused on the voting right's for blacks. He emphasized the importance of voting as a solution to ending discrimination against blacks. He...
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...The 1960’s, full of questionable philosophies of activists expressing what they seemed to be their right of knowledge and ethics for others to follow but none were sure of to be the most senseful of the all. King believed in to be the most notable activist around the 1960’s along with Malcolm X. The two followed nearly complete opposite philosophies in which people sought out and followed along with their community for change and equality. Malcolm X a black nationalist, a devoted follower of Islam, Elijah Muhammad. X expressed and taught that white race brainwashed blacks to be patient while enduring injustice around their home and country, preaching anti-white rhetoric and change of America by any means necessary. Some expressed his thoughts on creating an all black society of their own throughout the civil rights era. King seemed as an opposite in most ways but with the same goal of respect and equality of the black community. Following the teachings of Gandhi, throughout his works even though King was a Christian priest. He pursued his vision through a philosophy of peaceful change through sit ins etc. to desegregate the nation. The philosophy of the two were nothing but opposites yet during the 60’s MLK’s ideology was the most suitable for America at that time....
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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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...Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were people who changed black history forever. Their courage and love for their people transcended and surpassed their only boundary: America. Each one of them did what was possible for them at the time. However, what they achieved, how they achieved it, and their ideologies were different in each leader. Malcolm X was born in a Baptist family in Nebraska in May 19, 1925. Since little, he always saw violence in the streets as an atmosphere in which everyone fought and tricked just to survive. He was born into a Baptist (father), and Seventh Day Adventist (mother) environment. Malcolm X was influenced by his father who was a nationalist and a follower of Marcus Garvey’s UNIA. After getting out of jail he was...
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...diversity.” The leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X have different ways to meet the need for racial equality. Martin Luther King Junior’s message in “I have a Dream” speech in the March on Washington is one of the most inspiring speech in history. King’s message during this speech was to protest peacefully instead of violently. King’s hope is to get everything integrated instead of segregated. Martin Luther King’s family was very loving and close. Dr. King’s father and grandfather were ministers. Dr . King realized at a young age that segregation was incorrect, while integration was...
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...Great Racial Debate; and Differences of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. for Racial Equality America in the 1960s was marked by an era of unfortunate segregation, violence and unrest towards African Americans in the country. They faced often-brutal violence and a government that had forgotten them in regards to human rights. Blacks needed something to be done about the harm and inequality they were facing at the time. Fortunately, two men in particular rose to the occasion to fight for what they believed in. They focused on achieving the same goal of a better society for Blacks. However, they differed greatly in regards to how they sought to complete this goal. While Malcolm X often viewed the problem as a war and wanted to ensure that his people would have the means and the power to fight back against the harmful Whites. Martin Luther King Jr. believed it would be more beneficial to both parties if the violence ceased to exist. The struggle for racial equality caused Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. to seek separate and contradictory methods of achieving what they felt was right for African Americans. One main difference between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. was their distinctive childhoods. The two men were raised under dissimilar circumstances and environments. It can be supposed that the way they grew up directly relates to the views they had on the racial problems and the way they dealt with them. Malcolm X (1925 – 1965) had a terrible way of life...
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...There has been many prominent figures in the American Civil Rights Movement. Some prominent figures include Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. They both have their own viewpoints of social justice and how to achieve their goal. Martin Luther King, Jr. is more on the nonviolent side, while Malcolm X supports the use of violent if necessary. Malcolm X’s method of achieving social justice is more dominant than Martin Luther King, Jr.’s because Malcolm X’s method teaches people to use their available resources, to fight for what they believe in, and lastly use violence if it is necessary. Malcolm X’s method of achieving social justice teaches people to use available resources. He believes that people should do whatever they could to achieve what they want. Malcolm X indicates the term revolution meaning “a complete overturn-a complete change” (X). He is often called a revolutionist and agrees with the term because he wants change in the society. Malcolm X wants people to destroy the old system and replace it with a new system by all means. He says that “the Negro’s so-called “revolt” is merely an asking to be accepted into the existing system!” (X). Malcolm X, for the most part, is aiming for justice and equality just...
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...This was the atmosphere that young martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X grew up in. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were the two most important icons during the civil right movement, in the 1960s. While both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. fought against the civil struggles, they both had very different ideas and views. Martin Luther King Jr., best known for his non-violent protest and speeches about equality for all people, was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia (Lewis). He was part of the middle class and had the privilege to have a great education. Since he was so good at school he skipped two grades and graduated at the age of 15(Lewis). Eventually, like his father, King became a minister, which is one of the reasons why his personality and way of thinking was like a pacifist. As time went by and the civil struggles began to...
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...Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and Malcolm X were two fortunate African American leaders who fought for the freedom of Black America. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of a kind just like his “I Have a Dream “speech which explained the injustice and violation of freedom towards African Americans even after slavery had ended it also explains how he wants both African Americans and whites to unite as one. As to Malcolm X, his most famous speech was “God’s Judgement” which also explained the injustice towards the African American race but leans more towards the violent path rather than the peaceful way. Both characters have similarities and differences between their speeches like the imagery they each portray, the tone/mood they present, and the type of character that they each show throughout the speech. The imagery that both speeches portrayed was in a way much different. For Example, MLK’ s “I Have a Dream” speech was intended to portray a world where both African Americans and whites were united and together without judgment and...
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...Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. To have hatred embedded in the heart and to act with violence was something that Martin Luther King didn’t believe in. He believed in love and peaceful protest was the way to go for change to happen.While on the other side, Malcolm X violence and non peaceful protests were the way to go to get your point across more efficiently. During the 1950s and 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X took two different approaches in an attempt to change the way society acted towards African Americans. Malcolm X chose a more aggressive yet passionate route for change. He believed that we shouldn’t just let Caucasian people treat African American the way they do. We should stand up for what and protect each other. King thought the exact opposite, he believed that violence solves problems temporarily and non violence has lasting results. Using violence to fight oppression isn’t ideal because it portrays the cause in a negative light, creates fear and anxiety within a community, and it doesn’t have lasting results....
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