Stark Differences Throughout history there have been many great leaders who 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 was later reflected in his speeches when he used a language that was spoken particularly by a lower class in society. Malcolm was brought up in a negative environment, which consequently got him into trouble. The way Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were raised played a great role in the men they became.