Throughout the 1960’s, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. represented two sides of the Civil Rights Movement. Focusing on the aims of equality and the goodness of humanity, King said the famous words, “all men are created equal” (Ladenburg, 2001). On the other hand, X spoke of violence by claiming,
“If it’s necessary to form a Black Nationalist army, we’ll form a Black Nationalist army. It’ll be the ballot or the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death”.
(Carter, 2012)
These two inspirational leaders were fighting for the same cause; equal rights for African Americans. However, King and X had very different beliefs and tangible differences in the actions of their followers regarding how to achieve equal rights for African Americans.
…show more content…
It is clear that the upbringings of these two leaders played a major role in their approach to civil rights. King grew up in a middle class home and was well educated. He came from a notable family and enjoyed the presence of loving parents. On the other side of the spectrum was X. Coming from an underprivileged home, X was self-taught from the little schooling that he received. Following the murder of his father by members of the Ku Klux Klan, as well as the mental breakdown suffered by his mother, X’s family was forced to split up. He spent the remainder of his childhood years in various foster homes. Based on the differences between these two childhoods alone, it is clear that these men would grow up to view the world very differently. Although they became famous around the same time (between 1950-1960), both men represented very different philosophies. King preached unity as he, “looked forward to the time when blacks and whites would sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (Reddick, 2008), whereas X was interested, “first in African-Americans gaining control of their own lives” (Clarke, 2010), meaning he believed that separation from white society was necessary. They differed on the use of violence to achieve their goals, as well as the roles of whites in the Civil Rights Movement. King preached a non-violent means of expression and actions that he believed were the most effective method to achieve the goal of equality. These methods had the ability to not only influence African Americans, but also people in positions of power, including President John F Kennedy. During the time that King fought for civil rights, the Civil Rights Act (1964) was passed. King’s efforts gave the Civil Rights Movement national and worldwide attention, lessening the segregation gap between people of colour and white Americans. These efforts included King’s participation in anti-segregation protests in Birmingham in 1963, where he argued that individuals “have the moral duty to disobey unjust laws” (Reddick, 2008). King was fighting for a colour-blind society where people would be judged and valued on their skills and characters rather than the colour of their skin.
Malcolm X, on the other hand, was fighting in favour of a separate black nation, instead of integration of all races. X’s most famous line was, ‘by any means necessary’. He believed in fighting back physically, and was willing to do whatever it took for blacks to be treated equally, even taking up arms. Despite never organising any violent protests himself, X was a vocal proponent of violence. However, after his religious journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, X changed his views to a non-violent …show more content…
approach. King and X’s religions differed significantly, and were crucial in determining their beliefs. King was a Baptist Minister who embraced the reconciliation beliefs of Christianity and sought to implement these beliefs into society. This was best illustrated in his ‘I have a dream’ speech at the March on Washington in 1963 where he said, “I have a dream… that the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood”. (Jones, 2011) King’s words were about the unity of blacks and whites, thus offering a vision of a more peaceful world.
Conversely, X rejected Christianity to become a Muslim and join the Nation of Islam. This small religious group taught racial separation, the inherent evil of whites, and the need to embrace African culture (DeYoung, 2008). Religion Professor Cornel West explains,
“Malcolm X’s notion of psychic conversion holds that black people must no longer view themselves through white lenses. He claims that black people will never value themselves as long as they subscribe to a standard of valuation that devalues them”.
(Jacobs, 2009)
This is evident through X’s favour towards black segregation. He believed that intermarriage should not occur, as it was important for blacks to preserve their African culture.
Despite their many differences, both men shared a few similarities. A commonality for both of these men was that they sought for equal rights for African Americans. A further similarity is that both men were assassinated. X was killed on February 21st 1965, and King was killed three years later on April 4th 1968. These men were both killed for fighting for the rights and liberties of
others. Although they had different ideologies and goals, the actions of both men in relation to racism in the United States complemented each other. The message of Malcolm X helped to erase the internal discord caused by racism by building black self-esteem and self worth, whilst the actions of Martin Luther King Jr. facilitated the removal of the societal structures that maintained racial discrimination. Both were essential for transformation, and the successes of both approaches remain visible today. King was a better, more prominent advocate for the Civil Rights Movement. This is because he was a peaceful leader with a non-violent approach. He wished for all races to come together in order to achieve equality, which was a goal that X’s beliefs and actions would not have reached. Due to his remarkable approach towards humanity, Martin Luther King Jr. is well respected all around the world.
They both seem to share the thought that they only way to gain freedom as a slave is to show you will do anything to receive that freedom, but they also shared some different views. In “Liberty, Equality, Power” “When Dr. King rushed to the scene, preaching politics of nonviolence local activists ignored or even ridiculed him” (Murrin 998) and Malcolm X “oftentimes criticized Dr. King’s gradual, nonviolent approach” (Murrin 1000) was a different approach on King’s role in segregation. In Murrin’s text he was portrayed as weak for believing that desegregation would happen with nonviolence. Everyone that was battling to receive freedom seemed to think otherwise that violence was in fact key. This changes the reader’s view on King and how he was not really portrayed as most people know him to be “a hero” for all African Americans. It seems that Murrin believes that Malcolm X made more of a change for African American’s and connected more with them than King
In the same year X left the Nation of Islam, he went on a personal and spiritual journey to Africa and the Middle East, where did the pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In that journey, X corrected his view of Islam and the whole world; he left the idea that all whites are devils and believed in the idea that blacks and whites can peacefully live together
The Nation of Islam, which Malcolm X was an important member of, is not a religious organization as the name suggests but rather an organization whose goal was to make the lives of African Americans better instead of actually teaching the proper ethics of Islam. One of the main objectives of this organization was Black Nationalism, through which Black leaders can control the areas where there is a majority of African Americans. This cause was greatl...
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were very significant during the Civil Rights Movement. Both were excellent speakers and shared one goal, but had two different ways of resolving it. Martin Luther King Jr. chose to resolve the issues by using non-violence to create equality amongst all races to accomplish the goal. Malcolm X also wanted to decrease discrimination and segregation by using another tactic to successfully accomplish the similar goal. The backgrounds of both men were one of the main driving forces behind the ways they executed their plans to rise above the various mistreatments.
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who have 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.
Despite the striking differences of methods between the two civil rights leaders, there were a few similarities between these two leaders. They both believed that blacks suffered from great injustice and prejudice. King felt that all people were affected by the existing injustices that the few were suffering. Malcolm X preferred a more confrontational method of action, but also recognized the fact that blacks had been oppressed for too ...
“There is nothing in our book, the Koran, that teaches us to suffer peacefully. Our religion teaches us to be intelligent. Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. That’s a good religion.” This quote backs up Malcolm’s views of being able to stand up for yourself --and doing so in a violent manner. Both Malcolm and King have a similar goal of achieving equality, but both have very different views. Essentially, he accuses the leaders of delaying or impeding progress. Like the power that Martin Luther King asserts when he shames white moderates and church leaders, Malcolm X’s insistence that he is more aggressive and therefore stronger not only shows his superiority but underscores what he sees as the shamefulness of their gradualist stance. By restating the predicament of the civil rights struggle in its simplest form, he makes the civil rights platform seem shamefully ridiculous and
This paper will discuss the different stages of thought processes the former Nation of Islam minister, Malcolm X went through during his lifetime in terms of how he viewed white people, but more specifically “the white man” in America. The reason the focus is on White Americans is because these were the people outside of the Nation of Islam that shaped his life good or bad and put him on the path where he eventually transformed from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X who was one of the most polarizing and controversial figures during his lifetime and even nearly 50 years after his death the name Malcolm X causes certain people to shudder. Malcolm X became a well-known figure during the 50’s and 60’s during the civil rights movement which involved figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. This was a pivotal era in American history because for the first time that there was major push towards full rights for African Americans. When Malcolm X came on the scene he put fear into White people because they weren’t used to hearing the truth about race relations in America and many of them felt that things were just fine because they themselves were living life high on the hog while at the same time exploiting Blacks. Because this type of talk from a black person was new to them they misinterpreted his views as “hate speech” and accused him of trying to incite violence when he was simply trying wake his people up to properly deal with what was happening to them.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X paved a significant path towards a racially neutral society. There is no doubt that both Martin and Malcolm influenced a whole generation of rebels to fight racism and discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr. had a more peaceful standpoint to attempt to solve racism. Malcolm X on the other hand used violence and force to get the necessary results. They both shared a common objective, but took different actions to achieve the goal.
Cone ends his book, Black Theology & Black Power with this thought, “The real questions are: Where is your identity? Where is your being? Does it lie with the oppressed blacks or with the oppressors? Let us hope that there are enough to answer this question correctly so that America will not be compelled to acknowledge a common humanity by see that blood is always one color.”
Since the dawn of time, there has always existed the concept of good vs evil. Normally, this concept is used to explain two forces battling against each other in order to influence people’s actions. However, these concepts also exist on a realistic level; although the realistic form is based on race rather than morals. Like a recessive gene, black people were suppressed by the dominant gene, white people, in the 1950’s. With the white race oppressing the black race being a colossal dilemma, few people chose to solve it. Among them were Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. While King wanted to solve the problem with peace, Malcolm knew the only way to solve the dispute was fighting back. Malcolm X was born in 1925 in Omaha Nebraska, and was one
The NOI was founded by Wallace D Ford in 1930, with Elijah Mohammed as the “prophet,” later replaced by the more famous. Malcolm X. The Nation of Islam hated white America as much as white America hated them. They are all a lot. They campaigned for equality but segregation to remain. separate, but to gain the same facilities as white people had and not.
With this statement, he clearly shows that the peace and justice in the United States is not limited only to the white population, but also belongs to the black population.... ... middle of paper ... ... He also uses the powerful words “Free at last” in order to show the importance of the situation of the black population.
...e and perseverance, another lesson taught by Malcolm X. He states in his Letters from Mecca, that brotherhood can save America from imminent racial disaster and remove the “cancer of racism” (Griffith, 516). Even though the media made him look bad, he knew that he could not lash out, get frustrated and give up. He kept going. He never gave up and today he is looked back upon to be one of the greatest men in American history due to his efforts in changing America. To end, while many take some time to learn about the truth, several others believe what they hear and spread the lies. The truth can only be found if one seeks it and in order to seek the truth ignorance and blind belief needs to be eliminated. America was founded on the basis of freedom of religion and that is what Americans need to continue to uphold by educating themselves and accepting all religions.
II. Another similarity between King and Mandela is that they had the same beliefs. A. King firmly supported his nonviolent protest movement for the equality of blacks in America. B. Likewise, Mandela adhered to the ways of nonviolence to fight apartheid. III.