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 committed to a mental institution. The family's eight children were split up amongst orphanages and foster homes. The breakup of Malcolm's family, beginning with their home burning by whites, planted seeds of bitterness and revenge in Malcolm's mind. King, was born to a middle class African American family in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was also a minister, which led Martin to follow in his footsteps years later. He attended a local black high until graduating at age fifteen, when he began his schooling at Morehouse College graduating at the top of his class at age nineteen. Malcolm, after being told that his dream of becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," by a favorite teacher, dropped out of school early and would have to make something of himself on his own intellect and perseverance. (Biography of Malcolm X) Martin Luther King went on to become a minister and a Doctor of Divinity at age 25. Malcolm Little moved to Boston, Massachusetts then to Harlem, where he organized drug deals, prostitution, and gambling rings. Malcolm was sent to prison for 10 years on burglary charges in 1946. It is obvious that the men's childhood had great effect on where they had ended up, Martin as a Doctor and minister; and Malcolm in prison. This temporary establishment for Malcolm would only make his stronger. During Malcolm Little's time in prison, his brother, Reginald would frequently visit and discuss with him about the Nation of Islam (NOI), a Muslim organization that Reginald belonged to. Malcolm began to do research on Muslims while in prison. After seven years of imprisonment, Malcolm was released. Malcolm was soon an active member for the NOI, and its leader Elijah Muhammad. Martin Luther King continued to preach the bible in his hometown, while Elijah Muhammad taught that the white race has worked to restrict blacks from empowering themselves and succeeding socially and politically. The NOI believed in a new state solely for blacks, and explained their ideas of black supremacy. Elijah Muhammad appointed Malcolm as a national spokesman for the NOI and a minister of the Islamic religion. He was given the surname "X," to signify his lost tribal name, considering "Little" to be a slave name. Malcolm X took advantage of newspapers, radios, and televisions to spread the message of Elijah Muhammad. MLK used public platforms as well, but instead to spread the message of the gospel. King gained public attention by quoting biblical figures, which attracted to the large United States' Christian base. Malcolm is credited with the increase of supporters of the NOI from 1952 to 1963, starting with 500 members to 30,000 in 1963. Gaining supporters was not easy for Malcolm, not as easy as Martin Luther King, there were more black Christians than black Muslims. Support was audibly on the side of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., predominately due to religious beliefs and Christian followers. The people didn't want to hear about what Elijah Muhammad had to say, they felt more comforted by the words of Biblical figures such as Paul the Apostle. Even White Americans supported MLK, allowing him to speak at the Lincoln Memorial in from of an estimated 250,000 people with his "I had a Dream" speech. When asked to comment, Malcolm X responded that he can't comprehend why Negroes are so excited about an arrangement "run by whites in front of a statue of a president who has been dead for a hundred years and who didn't like us when he was alive." (History of Civil Rights in America) Although MLK had millions of Christian supporters, Malcolm X is largely credited with converting tens of thousands of his African American followers to the Muslim religion with his preaching. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a more influential figure in the black civil rights movement than Malcolm X. The two men grew up very differently due to social status and family involvement in Black Civil Rights Movements. The religions of these African American men really set their ideologies apart; Martin Luther King as a Christian Baptist minister, and Malcolm X as a Muslim minister. Their religious beliefs swayed the public's opinion in favor of one of the two, Martin Luther King. The nation's Christian community appreciated MLK because of his use of biblical references in his speeches. Malcolm X would very often begin his messages with the saying "The honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that..." The African American Community would rather listen to the "word of God" than to trust Elijah Muhammad, the founder of the NOI. Both men have left the world with the same cause to free the blacks from social oppression, but Malcolm X fell short to influence African Americans as much as Martin Luther King, Jr.

Work Cited http://www.malcolmx.com/about/bio3.html http:/www.brothermalcolm.net/mxtimeline.html#nineteen http://www.blackwebportal.com/wire/DA.cfm?ArticleID=2541 http://www.africawithin.com/malcolmx/malcolm_bio.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmalcolmX.htm http://annaseng11104cpfall2009.blogspot.com/2010/03/draft.html