Martin Luther King Jr. And Malcolm X

What makes a great leader? Two great leaders from this century were Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. Despite their difference in gender and race and didn 't have political experiences. Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American, Baptist minister, who was born on January 15, 1968. He lead the civil rights movement. Eleanor Roosevelt, who was born on October 11, 1884, was an influential a First Lady. She was a great social reformer and she was a beyond educated well and came from her wealthy family as well. Both had successful leadership qualities: empathy, conceptualization, and ability to build community.

By any means necessary” (Malcolm X). During the 1950’s to 60’s Malcolm X was a Black Nationalist speaker for the nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam Impacted Malcolm X with the idea of obtaining freedom, justify, and equality by any means necessary. The Black Panther Party being strongly influenced by Malcolm also shared this idea. Malcolm’s view of ending racial discrimination was by the use of violence and advice his followers to protect themselves toward white assault ‘an eye for an eye’ unlike the views of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Newton and Bobby Seal founder of the Black Panther’s party of the 60’s led their party by the ideology of Malcolm X, and the New Black Panther found by Louis Farrakhan of the 80’s (Black Panther Party). Therefore

Malcolm X used violence as a way to get more black rights and to hopefully lead up to black supremacy. Dr. Martin L King Jr used non violence protesting as a way to symbol that people standing up for their rights are not wrong or barbaric, but the people who are stopping these nonviolent protests look bad because there is no physical harm being done. Malcolm X states, “This is why I say it’s the ballot or the bullet. It’s liberty or it’s death” (The Ballot or the Bullet). This describes Malcolm X warning that if black people are not allowed suffrage and other rights, then there is going to be violence and death involved to have those rights granted. Malcolm X is showing that he is not afraid to have a violent revolution if there has to be one. Dr. King however states, “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must ride to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force” (I Have A Dream). Martin Luther King Jr is trying to persuade others that a violent protest will only hurt, not help in getting equality and that a peaceful, powerful protest will ensure smoother integration and peace. Dr. King is promoting the opposite of Malcolm X by saying peace is power whereas Malcolm X is trying to bring forth the

Powerful movements require powerful leadership. During the 1960s a push for civil rights developed, and African Americans took various positions. Two strong leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X approached the Civil Rights Movement using different methods. Their speeches reflect the disposition of their tactics. In his speech, “I Have a Dream,” Martin Luther King, Jr. focuses on applying his non-violent philosophy. On the contrary, Malcolm X projects himself in an aggressive tone reflecting the attitudes of Black Nationalists in “Ballot or the Bullet.” These speakers demonstrate their objectives and tone through their use of diction and syntax.

Throughout history there are many great people who dedicated their life to the advancement of the African American race. Few of these people created as much controversy during the 1960’s then the man who would be known as Malcolm X. Unlike many of the civil rights leaders of the time who promoted non violence, Malcolm X believed in the use of aggressive tactics in his battle for equality.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson demonstrated unimaginable leadership skills in an effort to accomplish their respective agendas. Through the use of moral leadership, King would rise to become the head of the Civil Rights Movement by means of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance. MLK began as a Baptist Minister, but after seeing the difference he could make in the world, decided to stand up for what he felt was right. Johnson, on the other hand, used political leadership in order to make a name for himself as President of the United States. LBJ was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals, even if it meant going against the Southern Democrats who had elected him to political office. One of these risks

This era was the time when both X and King would begin to express their opinions on race and equality. Georgetown University’s Keith Miller asserts that Elijah Muhammad, the man to whom X was devoted, taught that the Caucasian society actively worked to keep African-Americans from gaining power and respect and achieving political, economic and social success (“Malcolm X”). These teachings, asserts Malcolm’s official website, combined with how haunted he was by his childhood explain how the message he preached came to be. Malcolm’s idea of true equality was rebellious, negative and angry. He embraced separatist philosophies and felt that non-violence and integration were tricks that white people promoted to keep blacks in their place (“About Malcolm X”). Martin Luther King’s philosophies couldn’t have been more different, according to Long Island University’s Melvin Sylvester. He believed that through hard work, strong leadership and non-violence, blacks could achieve full equality with whites (“Tribute”). King urged all members of the black

We all hope to have, and understand, the characteristics that an amazing leader possesses. There are many great leaders, spread throughout our history. Malcolm X, George Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr. are just a few people who were blessed with what it takes to step up and become true leaders. By example, some of the other fantastic qualities of leadership also make up two remarkable people: Nelson Mandela and Suleiman the Magnificent. They exhibited many leadership-like characteristics, like them being feared yet admired by their people, or people from other countries, or the fact that they were also very intelligent, and tactical.

Africans have long faced racism in their long history in America. They have had their identities and rights lost under centuries of slavery. Even after the Civil War, the inequalities between African Americans and Caucasians did not cease to exist. From these troubles, many strong people have risen and been able to tell their stories. Among these include a former slave who traveled north and gained freedom, Frederick Douglass and civil rights activist, Malcolm X who both wrote their own autobiographies about their journeys against racism. While Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass lived about a century apart, they share similarities in how they faced and combated racism through education, inspiration by other people, and their eventually finding of freedom.

After reading an excerpt of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, I felt that both men were conveying their alarm for equality for the African-American race. Malcolm and Martin had already experienced the atrocities that extreme racism brought on to their families. Martin projects a peacemaking, and more rational demeanor Malcolm showed a more radical, controversial, and an unwavering unwillingness position on compromise. The characteristic of standing up for what he or she believes in is one influence that these men have on my life.

We are all pretty familiar with Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr., both being significant historical figures, fighting for different ideas. During the 1700s’, Jefferson was growing up in a rich white environment and privileged to the extent where he is later classified as an American founding father. A very different background compared to the majority of the colonies’ population at that time and two distinct relations shared between them. Unlike Jefferson, Dr. King was raised by a faithful family and a religious environment while being targeted in a discriminative and racist atmosphere, resembling the expected stereotypical lifestyle of an African American male during the 1900s’. Unlike many other African Americans, King achieved the near impossible in getting as far as an education; the pressure in even attending a segregated school was overwhelming for a lot of African American individuals. Since we looked at both very distinct lifestyles, we can probably guess how and where the motives behind Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” and Dr. King’s I Have A Dream” came about. Comparison and contrast wise, what are the propositions Jefferson and King have for the topic of equality? Does Jefferson’s perspective on equality contradict or corroborate with Dr. Kings’? But when you really get down to it, do either ones’ perspective have similar traits to what kind of society we are living in or is it too irrational to justify?

        People often refer to Malcolm’s use of terms such as the “white devil” and his overall tone as a reason for him not being the visionary that Martin Luther King was. Martin Luther King is known for teaching in a very non-violent manner in which he avoided labeling others (Litwack, pg 8). Martin Luther King certainly deserves admiration for the manner in which he got things accomplished but that shouldn’t warrant any discredit aimed at Malcolm X. Malcolm uses a very aggressive tone because he wanted to get a reaction from his audience. For Malcolm, It was absolutely imperitive that his audience realize the severity and consequences of this election year. He uses this insistent tone when he

There is no undermining that his beliefs could be considered radical, but at the same time there was no one who wanted to express what X was claiming. The majority of blacks did not feel the power to believe that they deserved more than what was left for them to survive off. To speak about civil rights, no one was as willing compared to X to talk about how blacks were living only to “survive.” Health and Medical Statistics from the 1940-1960 time frame exactly prove this as life expectancies at birth were at least ten years more on average for whites, when compared to blacks throughout the listed years. Therefore, think again how extreme were Malcolm X’s beliefs when he exclaimed that, “You have been cut off by the devil white man from all true knowledge of your own land” (Autobiography of X, 1965). Not only does it take confidence and pride to denounce the Anglo-Saxon race in a time where blacks are officially second-class people, but it takes a real leader. This is not to say that MLK JR has not once in his lifetime ever let out a negative opinion on white people, but he surely has not done so in such a manner as Malcolm X. It is not that MLK JR philosophy did not have an emphasis of how there is an urgency for change to take place in America, but it was more than anything the lack of a redemption factor. Malcolm X knew all his life what it was like to

To begin, Malcolm X’s speech detailing his his political views on black nationalism, the hypocrisy of the United States, as well as the radical steps needed to be taken by the black community to achieve equal rights, is laden with elevated language in order to create an ethical appeal to the audience. For example, Malcolm X states that “The political philosophy of black nationalism only means that the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community” (par 2). The use of the elevated language, such as “philosophy” and “nationalism”, sophisticates the speech altogether, which successfully reflects the professional tone used by Malcolm X, as well as the seriousness of the matter; which, in turn, strengthens the overall argument being made. Moreover, through Malcolm X’s sophistication of language, and thus the speech, it

The speaker of the first speech is John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States. President Kennedy was instrumental in improving relations with the USSR and improving civil rights in the US. He is seen as one of the greatest presidents America has ever had.