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Compare the philosophies of martin luther king jr and malcolm x
Effects of racial discrimination on society
Compare the philosophies of martin luther king jr and malcolm x
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BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY The Principles of Malcolm X & Martin Luther King History 115 Goodness Ezeji 11/16/2017 Student ID: 2157660 Professor: Dr. Tamara Brown 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” . Malcolm X, born in 1925 as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska lived with the knowledge that his family house was burned down and that his father was killed by the Ku Klux Klan because he refused to vacate an area that was “supposed” to be for Whites only. His father was an independent man who wanted to fend for his family by himself and not have to rely on anyone …show more content…
They both were willing to sacrifice all they had, including their lives (they were both murdered), in order to secure a better future for their people. Though their backgrounds shaped their difference in philosophies, they both had global consciousness and advocated for oppressed people, especially those of African descent
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.
However, it was what happened in his life that made Malcolm X the man who people remember today. From a very early age, Little lived in fear of racism and hate groups, much of it rooting from his father’s murder by white supremacists. He was effectively orphaned by 13, as his mother was placed in a mental institution, and lived until he was 20 in several different foster homes. He was arrested for a crime and once released, went on to commit several crimes, including using and distributing drugs, etc. It was when he was imprisoned that he found the Nation of Islam, who helped him when he was released from prison to find a new life. From them, he was able to attain great oratory skills and create an environment when he spoke in which the people around him, white and black alike, felt empowered and equal. Once he discovered corruption and began to disdain the Nation of Islam, he became independent and was later assassinated. However, he along with MLK, were empowered by their stories, Malcolm’s being one of hatred, poverty, hope, and truth, that changed him to become a stimulus for African American equality in
Stephen King and Malcolm X both say the key to being a good writer is studying, and practicing. To be good at something you have to take the time, you do not just become an amazing writer overnight. The effort and time you put in will be the reason for your success or your failure. They both say to be a great writer you not only have to write often you have to write every day. You also need to read everything and all the time, Stephen King says you need to read for at least four hours a day. Malcolm X read some days for up to 15 hours or more. This was not only because he was in prison and had so much free time, but because he wanted to. It was his choice to read all the time, to learn as much as possible. To be a great writer you need to want
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 get of segregation but by using another tactic to successfully accomplish the similar goal. The backgrounds of both men were one of the main driven forces behind the ways they executed their plans to rise above the various mistreatments. Martin Luther King Jr. was a more pronounced orator, a more refined leader, and overall saw the larger picture than Malcolm X.
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little. He grew up in the streets of Boston and New York where he was known as “Red”. Malcolm became what most young black youths with no direction became “lost”. He became a thief, a hustler, Drug dealer as well as user. He was going down a one way street the wrong way. Malcolm was unstoppable!
Two men, born nearly a hundred years apart, each seeking revolutionary changes in the United States in ways suited to their society and circumstances. Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X were monumental and influential figures in American history. In the books Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and The Autobiography of Malcolm X, both Douglass and Malcolm used their extraordinary oratorical skills and charisma to object to the systematic oppression and subjugation that was imposed on African-Americans. The philosophy of Douglass and Malcolm is characterized by their views on education, Christianity, and slavery.
Until the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his life’s work was dedicated to the nonviolent actions of blacks to gain the freedoms they were promised in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. He believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, 1963). These injustices had become so burdensome to blacks that they were “plunged into an abyss of despair” (King, 1963). The nonviolent actions of the sit-ins, boycotts, and marches were so the “individual could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths…to help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism” and ultimately lead to “inevitably opening the door to negotiation” (King, 1963). Not only was King’s approach effective with the older black generation, it was also successful with white people. They did not feel threatened when approached by King. White people gained a sense of empathy towards the plight of black freedom as King’s promise of nonviolence did not threaten their livelihood. Malcolm X viewed the world similarly to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., however; his beliefs to changing the status quo were slightly different from his political counterpart. Malcolm X realized that “anger could blind human vision” (X, 1965). In realizing this, X knew that in order to achieve racial freedom blacks had to “forget hypocritical politics and propaganda” (X, 1965). While Malcolm X was more so an advocate for violent forces against white people than King, X merely used force when it became necessary for defense. According to X, “I don’t go for non-violence if it also means a delayed solution. I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to American black man’s problem” (X, 1965). However, this le...
Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925, and he was assassinated on February 21, 1965. Malcolm X was a Muslim leader and Civil Rights leader. He was born Malcolm Little to Earl Little and Louise Norton, who were both activists in the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Malcolm X was a bright student but was very bitter towards white authority figures. X quit school after a teacher said that his desire to become a lawyer was not a “realistic goal for a nigger.”
Malcolm was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to Louise and Earl Little. His Father, Earl, was a Baptist minister and an active member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (founded by Marcus Garvey). Due to his involvement in civil rights, Malcolm and his family were harassed and experienced racism from an early age, and Malcolm’s encounter before he was even born. In his own words, Malcolm said: “ When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later, ‘ a party of hooded Ku Klux Klan riders galloped to our home, brandishing their guns and rifles, they shouted for my father to come out’.”
Malcolm X had an interesting childhood that ended up shaping how he would end up as an adult. Malcolm had a very large family, he was one of eight children. His mothers’ name was Louise Norton Little. She was a stay at home mom and cared for her children. His father, Earl Little, was a very outspoken Baptist minister and an avid supporter of the Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. This is where his life started to get interesting. Earl's civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, forcing the family to relocate twice before Malcolm's fourth birthday. ( www.malcolmx.com p 1). Earl wanted nothing to do with violence and wanted to keep his family safe from harm. He tried to put as much distance between him and the Black Legion. Despite his efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929, their home in Lansing, Michigan, was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl's body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks (www.malcolmx.com p 1). Police declared that both of these incidents were in fact accidents and not attacks on the family by the Black Legion. This violent end to Malcolm’s father’s life ...
Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska by the name of Malcolm Little. His childhood was plagued with problems that stemmed from his father Earl's outspoken views on civil rights and his strong support of black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Constant death threats by the White Supremacist group known as the Black Legion (also known as members of the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to relocate twice before Malcolm's fourth birthday, but their efforts to keep themselves safe came up short when their house in Lansing, Michigan was set ablaze in 1929. Shortly after losing their house Earl Malcolm was found laid out and mutilated across the trolle...
Malcolm X's life was a life with a lot of conflict and violence in it. Malcolm X was born under the name of Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. His father was a baptist minister and an outspoken follower of Marcus Garvey, the black nationalist leader of the 1920s who preached that all blacks should leave the US and go back to Africa.
Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise Little was a homemaker while his father, Earl Little, was a preacher, an active member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, and a strong supporter of Marcus Garvey. Malcolm’s family faced several harassments due to his father’s civil rights activism. His family had to move several times in order to run away from it. At one point, their house was burnt to the ground and two years later his father was found dead on some trolley tracks. The police refused to go deep into both these incidents and declared them accidents when the family was sure that it was on purpose because of their father’s activism. Louis Little ended up having an emotional breakdown that lasted for years and was admitted to a mental institution which caused her children to be separated into foster homes and orphanages.
Nearly three centuries ago, black men and women from Africa were brought to America and put into slavery. They were treated more cruelly in the United States than in any other country that had practiced slavery. African Americans didn’t gain their freedom until after the Civil War, nearly one-hundred years later. Even though African Americans were freed and the constitution was amended to guarantee racial equality, they were still not treated the same as whites and were thought of as second class citizens. One man had the right idea on how to change America, Martin Luther King Jr. had the best philosophy for advancing civil rights, he preached nonviolence to express the need for change in America and he united both African Americans and whites together to fight for economic and social equality.
Born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X was a prominent black nationalist leader who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and '60s. Articulate, passionate and a naturally gifted, inspirational orator, Malcolm X exhorted blacks to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary", means that included violence. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little and was exposed to civil rights activism since childhood. Little's father, Earl Little, was a civil rights activist, a member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, and was, as a result, constantly harassed by the Ku Klux Klan. Little and his family were subject to much racism and discrimination, Little having many such encounters as a child. For instance, at the age of four, a racist mob set the Littles' house on fire, and the town's all-white firemen