The declining conditions in the cities, feminism, and the Vietnam War caused the political and social aspects of society to become tempestuous and aggressive.With less income in tariffs, cities became dilapidated where felony’s and illegal drug use increased, which caused them to be labeled as “black, brown, and broke.” Radical new leaders like Malcolm X promoted “Black Power”,which basically involved the idea of black supremacy. X believed that aggressive movements were necessary in the midst of a revolution, and that pacifist actions like the ones Martin Luther King J.R. promoted didn’t make changes (Document F). Political upheaval and unrest was an outcome of this hostile and inexorable approach. After being jailed, Martin Luther King J.r.
Malcolm Little grew up in Lansing, Michigan. While he was growing up, he developed mistrust towards white Americans due to the fact that the Ku Klux Klan burned down his house, and later murdered his father. Later on in Malcolm’s life, he moved to Harlem where he soon turned to crime and was arrested and sent to jail.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X DBQ Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both African American civil rights leaders wanting to bring freedom to black people during the 1960s. Even though both leaders wanted to liberate black people, their philosophies were drastically different. Malcolm X wanted racial separation, while Martin Luther King wanted both races to coexist. Religion is also a major part of this situation because most African Americans, including MLK in America, were Christian. Malcolm X’s goal was to turn all people who follow his path into Muslims.
Both Fannie Lou Hamer and Malcolm X rejected the idea that the main goal of the civil rights movement should be based on an aspiration to gain rights “equal” to those of white men and to assimilate into white culture. They instead emphasized a need to empower Black Americans.1 Their ideas were considered radical at a time when Martin Luther King Jr. preached the potential of white and black americans to overcome “the race issue” together and in a gradual manner. Malcolm X’s attempt to achieve his goals through revolutionary top-down methods and Fannie Lou Hamer’s focus on the need for grassroots movements contributed to the Civil Rights movement significantly by encouraging and assisting Black Americans.
Malcolm X should be everyone’s hero, someone people like myself should look up to as a human being. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either a racist or is extremely ignorant. Malcolm X wore his heart on his sleeve and whether right or wrong he was never afraid to say what was on his mind to anyone who cared to listen. I personally believe Malcolm X’s beliefs give me strength to do what's right and carry myself with dignity. I remember, as a kid, my parents had tons of books about Black History books. The first book I read was a Malcolm X biography. I realized Malcolm X was truly a powerful, significant, and essential work for all time.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United States. During his campaign he had promised to lead the country down the right path with the civil rights movement. This campaign promise had brought hope to many African-Americans throughout the nation. Ever since Lincoln, African-Americans have tended to side with the democrats and this election was no different. The Kennedy administration had noticed that the key to the presidency was partially the civil rights issue. While many citizens were on Kennedy’s side, he had his share of opposition. Malcolm X differed on the view of the President and observed that the civil rights movement wasn’t happening at the speed Kennedy had pledged. Malcolm X possessed other reasons for his dislike of John F. Kennedy and his brothers, especially Robert. The Kennedy government stood for racial liberalism and Malcolm X argued their true intentions for the civil rights movement weren’t in the best interest of the black population. This tension streamed both ways. John Kennedy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation felt that Malcolm X had become a threat to national security. James Baldwin has written essays that have included the repeated attacks on the white liberal and supports Malcolm in many of his theories and actions.
Kirk, J. (2007). Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement: controversies and debates. Basingstoke New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
The year of 1964 was the peak of the American civil rights movement. There were two well-remembered activists within the civil rights movement. One was supporting civil disobedience, and one for revolution. Martin Luther King a Christian minister, pushed for a peaceful ending to the inequality of the African Americans, while Malcolm X, a Muslim minister, spoke in favor of self-reliance and violence if they didn’t get their rightful freedom. In Malcom X’s speech “The Ballot or the Bullet,” He declares that 1964 is the year of the ballot or the bullet, “liberty or death.” His main purpose of using aggressive language was to unite the African Americans in their civil rights battle against the government that was lead mainly by a white majority. He wanted to convince them that they could have more power as long as they all unite. They would have the power to put a president in the White House, the power to control their communities, and the power to get the freedom that has been denied to them. Malcolm X mentions in his speech that there are two ways that the “Afro-Americans” can get their freedom. Either the “white man” can give it to them, or they can take their freedom through a bloody revolution.
After countless years of inequality and discrimination towards minorities , a day came on July 2,1964 that finally ended the segregation laws within the United States .In the early 1960,s with the presence of racism, discrimination, and segregation in America, many great leaders that had an extraordinary part in ending racial inequality emerged, but it can be argued that Martian Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X were the most influential, as they provided the baseline for modern day America. Through these men’s beliefs and speeches, many similarities and differences in their approach to achieving their goals were shown, such as non-violence vs any means necessary, Integration ,vs. an all black nation, the
African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Of the people whose names are mentioned in history, some men like Thomas Edison are praised for their genius minds, while others such as Adolf Hitler are criticized for leaving a depressing legacy behind. While it is relative easy to notice the type of legacies these two men left, legacies of other men are often vague and they seem to be imbedded in gray shadows. This is how many people view the life of Malcolm X. Malcolm X during his lifetime had influenced many African Americans to step up for their rights against the injustices by the American government. One on hand, he has been criticized for his hard stances that resemble extremism, while on the other hand he has been praised him for his effort in raising the status for African Americans. The extremes in viewing his life from the modern day perspective have often come from reading his climatic speech The Ballot or the Bullet that he gave in many cities across America in 1964. When he was with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X favored Blacks to be separated from the Whites, and during this time he strongly opposed White Supremacy. This also seems quite prevalent in his speech The Ballot or the Bullet. However, one events during the last year of his life reveal that he wanted the Blacks and the Whites to coexist as peaceful Americans.
Recently you have received a letter from Martin Luther King Jr. entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In Dr. King’s letter he illustrates the motives and reasoning for the extremist action of the Civil Rights movement throughout the 1960’s. In the course of Dr. King’s letter to you, he uses rhetorical questioning and logistical reasoning, imagery and metaphors, and many other rhetorical devices to broaden your perspectives. I am writing this analysis in hopes you might reconsider the current stance you have taken up regarding the issues at hand.
Harper, Frederick D. “The Influence of Malcolm X on Black Militancy.” Journal of Black Studies 1 (June 1971): 387-402.
The Negro revolution is a stagnant fight; the black revolution is a fight with one decisive winner. In this talk of revolution he also pointed out the hypocrisy of the American people on the subject of violence. How many black people will to go war for a country that hates them and do not even want them in the country, but when a white man strikes them they turned a blind eye because “peace” is the answer. “If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad”(MalcomX, Message to the Grassroots), many people would agree with this sentiment. Why condemn those who want to fight for something they believe in using violence when we as a country are doing the same thing overseas. Later in the speech, Malcolm X calls out the modern house Negros we have today in the United States. A house Negro was the slaves who stayed in the living quarter with their master and were maids and butlers and tended to the children. The latter are the filed Negros who worked in the fields and stayed in
of Malcolm X, an advocate of the Black Panther Party who sought equality by violence.
Malcolm X, an associate of the Black Panthers and a brother of the Black muslime movement, went on to write “The Ballot or the Bullet”; was this not only a response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech opposing violence, he did not share Martin’s nonviolent ways, and he was sure of a violent seizure of civil rights. Due to the frustration built up with the slow gesture of white people in reaching a decision on black rights in America.