Difference Between Martin Luther King Jr And Malcolm X

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were two of the most influential leaders of the movement. Both men were African Americans and both fought for equal rights for African Americans. The difference between the two, however, is found in their ideologies on how to best help and serve the black community. By looking at both men’s best-known speeches, one can better understand these men’s different ideologies and why Americans tend to gravitate more towards Martin Luther King, Jr. than towards Malcolm X.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” King started off by recognizing President Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation

Proclamation a hundred years earlier and the promise it offered, but then lamented over how the Negroes still were not truly free due to the rampant and widespread segregation and discrimination throughout America. He then reminded Americans that the unalienable rights promised in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were meant for all men, including blacks. Next, King declared that America had defaulted on these promises in regards to the Negroes, and that is why they were gathered there that day.
King followed this declaration by demanding that America immediately begin to provide the Negroes the same freedoms and justices that are given to whites, and stated that the Negroes would not rest until they were granted their inalienable rights. However, he followed this demand for equality cautioning Negroes that they were to act disciplined and dignified during the process, rather than act with violence and hatefulness. King also reminded the African Americans that many white people were joining their efforts to gain equality, and they would likely distrust the Negroes if they showed violence towards whites. King next reminded all Americans that those seeking civil rights would never be satisfied as long as African Americans suffered from the brutality of discrimination and segregation. He closed his speech giving hope to those who were in despair with his famous “I Have a Dream” lines, which expressed his desire and belief that one day blacks and whites, both young and old, would sit down together, play together, work together, pray together, and be free together.
A few months later, on December 4, 1963, Malcolm X gave a speech titled “God’s Judgement of White America,” which afterwards was referred to as “The Chickens Come Home to Roost.” He began by explaining Elijah Muhammad’s (the Nation of Islam’s leader) teachings on how the White Europeans’ use of slavery caused their own collapse in power and wealth, just like the White Americans’ enslavement of blacks for the past 400 years was causing their own current destruction and downfall, and that all of this was brought on by divine will.

Malcolm X then explained the Islam religion’s beliefs and how it was the only way Negroes could pull away from the immorality and wickedness of the Western society that promoted slavery. He continued by stating it was now time for the prophecy to be fulfilled, for one religion to be established worldwide – the world of Islam. He declared they were living in the final hour and only those who fully practiced Islam would escape the Western world’s imminent disaster and

doom.
Malcolm X then began condemning Christianity. He pointed out how numerous times
the Hebrew Bible showed how past peoples ignored God’s messenger, continued in their wicked
ways, and were destroyed by God. He then related the stories to present times, and how the
whites were ridiculing God’s current messenger, Elijah Muhammad, and his followers, the Muslims. After discussing specific beliefs that the Muslims practiced, Malcolm X warned black Americans to believe in Elijah Muhammad’s message or else they would be removed as a race permanently along with the rest of the white, Christian Americans. He believed all whites were deceitful towards blacks, since they offered false promises of civil rights and integration and they used blacks only as tools to either get or stay in power. Malcolm X further warned blacks to not follow the Negro civil rights leaders, as they were only pawns for the crooked white politicians, and they did not speak for the Negro masses - just the white-minded Negro middle class.
Thus, Malcolm X called on blacks to strengthen and defend themselves, and that the true black revolution was controlled only by God, and not by the Negro civil right leaders who are controlled by white liberals. He reminded blacks that no revolutions were ever peaceful; history and the Bible have shown all revolutions to be violent, uncompromising, bloody, and destructive. He reminded listeners that history would repeat itself and White America would face judgment day, because her evil deeds against the 22 million Negroes would not go unpunished by God Himself. Malcolm X concluded by saying that desegregation was not enough to atone for America’s crimes. Instead, the government either needed to send all 22 million Negroes back to their homeland and pay for the transportation and start-up costs for 20-25 years so they could be with their kind again, or they needed to provide blacks a completely separate territory, one fertile and productive, as well as the goods needed to live on their own in the U.S. This was the only way White America could atone for her sins and escape destruction, according to Malcolm X.
Even though they both wanted to achieve civil liberties for blacks, the ideologies of
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were very different, as can be seen with their speeches.
After reflecting on their ideologies, it is easy to understand why overall, people tend to gravitate
more towards King than Malcolm X.

King’s ideology advocated non-violent direct action, as well as passive resistance, in order to achieve racial equality and freedom. King strongly believed in Christian values and that nonviolence was the black people’s most potent weapon in their struggle for racial freedom. This can be seen when he said, “In the process of gaining our rightful place, let us not be guilty of wrongful deeds,” and, “We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence.” King also reminded blacks that, “Many of our white brothers…have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny,” and, “We cannot walk alone,” because he wished for blacks to work with whites to achieve racial equality. Plus, King believed that respect for blacks would come through integration. He fought to permanently get rid of signs that prevented blacks from riding buses or trains to where they wanted to go. He fought for all blacks to be able to vote. When King spoke, “With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brother-hood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together,” he showed his strong desire for everyone to get along and to create a society for all; one defined by love and

non-violence.
In contrast, Malcolm X, as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam, saw King’s non-violent resistance as a weak strategy and unacceptable. He believed if blacks did this then they had no self-dignity and were just letting whites beat them up for no reason. Instead, Malcolm X emphasized self-defense, fighting back physically, and doing whatever had to be done to get it done. He also violently rejected white America and its Christian values, as can be seen with his comments such as, “…it is only a matter of time before White America too will be utterly destroyed by her own sins,” and, “White America’s worst crimes are her hypocrisy and deceit.” He saw whites as “wolves” and “foxes.” When Malcolm said, “…twenty-two million Negroes who are referred to in the symbolism of the Scriptures as the Lost Sheep, the Lost Tribes, or the Lost People of God,” he showed his belief in the supremacy of blacks over whites. He wanted nothing to do with whites. He thought blacks should be more concerned about giving themselves more self-respect first. Malcolm X also thought that getting blacks the ability to vote was a joke, because he believed they were never going to have any power to make a difference anyways due to the corrupt white politicians. He often referred to white politicians as “crooked politicians” who “in this deceitful American game of power politics” view the Negroes as “nothing but tools” and offer them “false promises of integration and civil rights.” He desired total segregation, rather than integration like King. Instead of a society for all, he pushed for the establishment of an independent black nation, completely separate from whites.
Overall, people saw Martin Luther King, Jr. as a more prominent advocate of the Civil Rights Movement. Even in times of violence, King never acted out and he showed love and concern for all races. Thus, all races were more willing to help King than Malcolm X who did nothing to hide his hate for them. King simply did a better job at reaching across the racial lines and making the Civil Rights Movement more of a human movement that all could get behind. Whites struggled with validating how it was okay to beat and abuse people who wouldn’t fight back; it made whites look barbaric and cruel. Plus, the U.S. has a strong pro-Christian bias, so Americans related more to King’s Christian ideology than Malcolm X’s anti-Christian ideology.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X have remained prominent African American individuals throughout history. Though they fought for the same thing, racial equality and freedom, they had very different philosophies on how to accomplish it. Though more people respected King as a leader, it cannot be argued that both men were huge catalysts for change
in our country; a change that was