Martin Luther King Jr’s. and Malcolm X were two very important figures in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Although their approaches and ideologies differed significantly, both men made significant contributions towards achieving racial equality in America. This paper aims to explore and analyze the similarities and differences between MLK and Malcolm, and ultimately determine who left a greater impact on America. MLK’s. The. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, and came from a middle-class family. He was influenced by his father, a Baptist minister, and believed in nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience as means to achieve social change. Malcolm, born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, grew up in poverty and experienced …show more content…
Malcolm, on the other hand, promoted a more confrontational approach. He advocated for self-defense and believed that violence was sometimes necessary to protect the rights and dignity of African Americans. MLK’s ultimate goal was to achieve racial integration and equality through nonviolent means. He fought for desegregation, voting rights, and economic justice. King believed in the power of moral persuasion to change hearts and minds. Malcolm aimed to empower African Americans and promote independence within their own communities. He advocated for black pride, self-determination, and the establishment of separate black institutions. Malcolm believed in achieving equality through self-respect and self-empowerment. MLK’s impact on America was profound. His leadership and peaceful approach to activism inspired millions and helped shape the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. His famous "I Have a Dream" speech remains an iconic moment in American history. Malcolm X's influence was also significant, particularly on the Black Power movement. His passionate speeches and call for black self-determination resonated with many African
The 20th century was a definitive time period for the Black civil rights movement. An era where the status quo was blatant hatred and oppression of African Americans, a time when a black son would watch his father suffer the indignity of being called a “boy” by a young white kid and say nothing in reply but “yes sir”. Where a Black person can be whipped or lynched for anything as little as not getting off the sidewalk when approaching a white person, for looking into their eyes, or worse, “for committing the unpardonable crime of attempting to vote.” In the midst of the racial crises and fight for social equality were Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. who despite their difference in philosophies were “icons of social justice movement both in the United States and around the world” .
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 was wanted racial separation, while Martin Luther King wanted to both races to coexist. Religion is also a major part of this situation because most African Americans including MLK in America were Christian while Malcolm X’s goal was to turn all people who follow his path to convert into Muslims. Martin Luther King’s philosophy would’ve made more sense to 1960s America because most people who wanted freedom in society would rather consider coexisting than more racial
Martin Luther King jr. and Malcolm X are still highly controversial African-American leaders. Martin, a Christian integrationist, and Malcolm, a Muslim nationalist have been a powerful force against racial injustice. Each man sacrificed his life for the freedom of his people; however, Martin and Malcolm had taken very different approaches in achieving equality and identity for African-Americans in the land of their birth.
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.
Although both of these activists have different solutions and deliver things differently, they both address racism and the injustice the U.S. government performs on daily basis. In addition to this, they are both African Americans who persuading different audiences but are delivering the same content. In MLK’s letter he responds to his clergymen’s criticisms by addressing the racial injustices in Birmingham; while Malcolm X is delivery the same content but his audiences are blacks and whites. Even though they are both striving to declare freedom and are willing to fight for their human rights, MLK is more effective than Malcolm X in fighting against racial
Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both great role models and had a great impact on the African American youth. Their methods may have been different to each other but both of the ways that were used resulted in being extremely effective and contributed to towards the end of racial discrimination in America. Although, they are both very famous historical figures, Martin Luther King’s method is believed to be better than Malcolm X because of the excessive recognition and appreciation he received. This theory is proposed because King received a Nobel Prize for his work, there is a National Holiday in American commemorating him and Martin’s “I have a dream” speech that he gave on the March of Washington is still remembered by many American to this very day. In the end Malcolm finally agreed with Martin’s approach and also expressed his beliefs on how they both wanted to live in society full of freedom, peace, justice and equality. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both assassinated and died at very young age, trying to make their country a better place filled with love and acceptance for all and hatred for none.
Numerous leaders have made tremendous impacts throughout the history of the world. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the lives and philosophies of civil rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were prominent leaders during the Civil Rights Era. They both had very different philosophies and methods on the racial emancipation of African-Americans. Despite their differences, they shared a common goal to live in a society with equal opportunity and a world free of segregation.
During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s in the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X had different methods and philosophies for trying to accomplish the very similar goal of civil rights for African Americans. Although Martin Luther King, Jr. had a philosophy of non-violence and racial integration and Malcolm X believed violence might be necessary and believed in racial separation, the two leaders had a lot in common: “Martin and Malcolm have become the two most recognizable African American icons of the twentieth century”(Carson 22). Both men had similar backgrounds. Their fathers were Baptist ministers and both became religious leaders. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Southern Baptist minister inspired by the Hindu leader Mohandas K. Ghandi, and Malcolm X was a minister in the Nation of Islam, inspired by the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. However, according to at 1965 article in Ebony magazine, “they followed different paths that brought them both into the international limelight, espousing radically different philosophies and yet, strangely, working toward the same end—the winning of the dignity of manhood for the black man in America” (Violence Versus Non-Violence). Both men received multiple threats to their lives during their work and both ended up being assassinated Malcolm X on February 21, 1965 and Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. According to Ebony, both men were highly educated and they spread their messages through the “white press,” which “maligned Malcolm and extolled King-seemingly without realizing how close were the goals of the two men” (Violence Versus Non-Violence). Though they had differing philosophies and methods, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X had the same goal: civil ...
The autobiography of Malcolm X captures the personal growth and the journey of Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X. Throughout his life, Malcolm’s experiences shaped him into the human rights activist that we are all familiar with today. In his early age Malcolm believed every white person was malicious, he was a criminal, and he believed that Christianity prevented the progression of African Americans- later on in life, Malcolm became a controversial human rights activist, believed that white people were “well-meaning” people, and was a devout Muslim (pg. 383).
Throughout history, America has had many great role models and historical figures. The list is endless ranging from great presidents like George Washington to Civil Rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. However, one historical figure seems to stand out above all of the rest. Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X, was a civil rights icon that is credited for being an important part of African American History. Malcolm X’s strategies for civil rights equality include Black Nationalism, public influences, and political views.
Out of the turbulent political climate of the 1960s, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as some of the most prominent voices of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Both religious ministers took up the fight to advocate for human rights and improve the lot of their fellow African-Americans. The two sought to achieve the same endgame, but differed greatly on the method in which to bring about the change they wanted. A few common threads that linked the activists were their emphasis on human rights, their challenge to the status quo of America, their roles as major spiritual leaders in their respective religions, and the martyrdom they endured for their cause. On the surface Malcolm X and Martin Luther King have many similarities,
“On 21 February 1965, just a few weeks after his visit to Selma, Malcolm X was assassinated. King called his murder a “great tragedy” and expressed his regret that it “occurred at a time when Malcolm X was…moving toward a greater understanding of the nonviolent movement” (King, 24 February 1965). He asserted that Malcolm’s murder deprived “the world of a potentially great leader” (King, “The Nightmare of Violence”). Malcolm’s death signaled the beginning of bitter battles involving proponents of the ideological alternatives the two men
Life in America, spanning the entire decade of the 1960’s, categorized itself through rampant racism and discrimination that affected countless citizens. Throughout this time period, segregation created friction between white Americans and those of color. The circumstances constituted a two-sided argument between those who believed in separatism and those who embraced cohesion. Lack of governmental interference caused an uprise of leadership, particularly from people of color. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, preached the advantages of peaceful protest, whereas Malcolm X promoted the power in numbers. Malcolm focused on creating a separate black community, governed by people of color. His religion created a foundation for the rest
In the U.S there have been a lot of people who’ve had political influence in our government, and the person that interested me the most was Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a African American civil rights leader who fought so African Americans could get the same rights like everyone else. Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Before, his name was Malcolm Little, but later changed it to Malcolm X when he joined the Nation of Islam. Like many political leaders, Malcolm X had his own method of how he thought was the right action to use to get his objective. To accomplish the goal of desegregation and equality of black people, “he believed that black people should get their rights by any means necessary”# He criticized nonviolence and opposed those who favored or used it. Malcolm X went throughout the North and the South making speeches about his ideas and what he thought was right, and he encouraged all black people to fight for their rights and protection. As he became more popular and well known by everyone, he influenced people by giving black people the courage to stand up for themselves and fight back, made a lot of them join him with his ideas, and criticized the government for all the bad things it was doing.
Malcolm X or Malcolm Little and also known as “El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz”, was an African-American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. He had a hard child a young adult life. His admirers he was a courageous speaking for the rights of blacks, a man who accuses white America in the meanest terms for their crimes against black Americans; critics accused him of preaching racism and violence. “He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history along with martin luther king jr.” based on some of the things malcolm has done, Martin luther king jr. definitely had a different way of approaching issues. with both of their totally different way of getting their point across, discussion could be made on who was more effective in the civil rights movement as a whole. If Malcolm x wasn't around and fighting for civil right around the same time as MLK was doing it here he probably would of had much of a chance and would have just been killed, he in a way motivated the whole world into fighting for civil rights in their country, without his “black power” philosophy. he was easily in the top five people that got the civil right movement to follows it course and end up get equality for black and white.