Martin Luther King and Malcolm X

Malcolm X served prison for ten years. He went to prison due to his act of burglary. In the beginning of Malcolm’s prison life, he suffered from drug withdrawal. He has a furious temper toward the guards and they would put him into the solitary confinement. Afterward he met a confident black prisoner named Bimbi. Bimbi is a very educated man, he instructed Malcolm to think more effectively and to rediscover who he is. Bimbi introduce him to the nation of Islam’s spiritual leader, Elijah Muhammad, who teaches others that all white men are devils. Malcolm’s hustling mindset has changed after he accepted Elijah Muhammad as his savior in prison.

Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X were very huge leading figures during the Civil Rights movement. Though they had many differences, they had some similarities. Both men’s fathers were preachers and both men were religious preachers themselves. Dr. King and Malcolm X were around the same age and they were both assassinated. Coincidentally, both men had the same number of children and eventually they had the same ideologies for the Civil Rights Movement. However, Dr. King and Malcolm X were different in ways such as Malcolm X wanted black supremacy and Dr. King wanted equality, Malcolm X saw violence as an option to achieve his goals if peace did not work and Dr. King believed in complete nonviolence, and Malcolm X

During the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s, two prominent African-American men fought for economical, political and social equality for their race. Even though they were fighting for the same thing, their ideas to attain equality were unusually different. Martin Luther King wanted to a non-violently integrate society; on the other hand Malcolm X thought complete separation was the solution to inequality. Either way both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were some of the most influencing leaders of the Civil Rights period . With their entrancing passion they were able to bring about change in the black community; their voices rose above many other people and left both whites and blacks in awe. At the time, Martin Luther King’s approach towards education and communication between both races made more sense; however when it came to philosophy, Malcolm X’s path toward philosophy made more sense for America in the 1960’s and created broader support for the Civil Rights Movement.

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

During his seven-year incarceration, Malcolm self-educated and converted to Islam. He joined the religious organization Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad. By the time he was paroled, Malcolm was a dedicated follower and had legally changed his surname from “Little” to “X,” because he considered “Little” a ‘slave’ name (“About Malcolm X”). The changing of his name marked the beginning of a new era.

Malcolm X was a public leader during the time of the civil rights movement. Malcolm was a public voice of the Black Muslim faith, he challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the non-violent pursuit lead by Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm wanted followers to defend themselves against the white aggression and he said to “by any means necessary”. He was born with the name Malcolm Little, and he changed his last name to X to show his rejection of his “slave” name. Malcolm became an influential leader of the Nation of Islam, which combined Islam with black nationalism which was placed to encourage young blacks to fight for equal rights. Malcolm was a determined leader and he was willing to take any means necessary to achieve equal rights for black Americans, but unlike King’s peaceful approach Malcolm wanted to take a violent approach and without King he may have been the head of the movement causing black Americans to all take a violent approach. A violent approach may not have worked well and would

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X were the two particular most prevalent, most influential individuals of the Civil Rights Movement. Their tactics, ideologies, childhoods, and ideas of freedom differed in virtually every aspect. The ways in which these men sought transformation in society are where the majority of their differences existed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a huge proponent for peaceful demonstrations, silent marches, and nonviolent public sit-ins, where he and his supporters made open, unrestricted declarations for equality and integration. His entire philosophy on optimism and love originated from his Baptist roots and was a direct cause of his peaceful, nonviolent upbringing. In contrast, Malcolm X had a turbulent and traumatic childhood that led to a more forceful, direct form of demonstration that never pushed for peace and love and national social harmony. His religion and main area of support, the Nation of Islam, did not believe a simple sit-in or peaceful protest would create a change in society. Instead, he advocated for Black Nationalism, not for integration. Malcolm X encouraged the black community to become autonomous, to function separately from white society. A number of striking similarities existed between these men, however. Both men were intelligent from a young age, were raised in the same religion, had a staggering awareness of the national racial tensions in America, fought for justice for their people, pushed for social and

Malcolm practiced black nationalism, the advocacy of seperate national status for black people, when fighting for Civil Rights. With these beliefs, Malcolm X told those he influenced what he considered to be best if African-Americans wanted to see a change in how they were treated. Document 3 explains, “Working separately, the sincere white people and sincere black people will actually be working together.” (Malcolm X, Autobiography of Malcolm X, 1965) Along with this, Document 5 states, “We encourage Afro-Americans themselves to establish experimental institutes and educational workshops, liberation schools and child-care centers in Afro-American communities.” (Malcolm X, Basic Unity Program, 1967) These quotes reveal to readers and historians that Malcolm X believed that if whites and blacks couldn’t come to agreements directly, they should work separately at fighting for the same thing, civil rights. One source is directly written by Malcolm X and the other is a quote from him, meaning that it shows true thoughts and feelings of the influential man unlike any source written or stated by another person. Beliefs such as this prove that Malcolm X knew there would always be obstacles and racism in the way of African-Americans, but, he also knew that white people who had rights had the ability to help when African-Americans lacked rights and could

and Malcolm X had opposite views when it came to how they wanted to fight the Civil Rights Movement. Martin took the nonviolent path while Malcolm X took the violent path. Martin believed that blacks shouldn’t affiliate themselves with evil by using marching and boycotting as their nonviolent arsenal(Doc 6). He believed that violence increased

Soon they all converted to the religion of Islam with the help of a religious group called the Nation of Islam (NOI). As time went on in prison Malcolm devoted himself to learning more about Islam and its teaching. Both NOI and Malcolm had similar interests such as self-determinations, black cultural believes, pride, power and independences from white society. These interests and teachings were also comparable to that of Marcus Garvey. Malcolm made significant improvements in his reading and writing skills, he read every book in the prison library on philosophy, history, literature, and science.

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”-Martin Luther King Jr. “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”- Malcolm X. Just by comparing these two quotes said by two very courteous civil rights activists, you can see the contrasting differences between the two. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X both wanted the same thing yet they both drove up very different roads to advocate it. Martin’s method was to fight with love, help the oppressors to understand, and keep the peace. He even referred his love as his main weapon. While on the other hand, Malcolm suggested whatever he thought was necessary. Not metaphorically speaking, Malcolm actually had a real weapon. He fought with words sometimes, but he also precisely suggested to do whatever is necessary to protect himself and his people if words weren’t enough. Both of them

From Thurman, King developed his mentality regarding the power religion and peace could have in the fight against segregation. Thurman’s actions, words, and book Jesus and the Disinherited all had a weighty influence on King. Thurman helped blend Christianity, social justice, and Gandhi’s nonviolent protest in a manner that helped shape King’s tactics against segregation and social injustice. Unlike King, Malcolm X did not start out with a religious base. He did not come upon the Nation of Islam until he entered prison in the late 1940s. Despite encountering religion a bit later in life, the Nation of Islam had a substantial influence on his beliefs until he left it in 1964. From the Nation of Islam he gained the mentality that black people were the original race of the world and that blacks were superior to whites. This mentality began the Black Power Movement throughout the sixties and the seventies. Some blacks began to believe that their separation from society was fine as long as they were treated equally. Others held the belief that there was no place for them as a minority in the white-run American society and that the only place left to go was back to Africa. Malcolm X also believed that the nonviolent, peaceful protests of the civil rights movement were not very effective; he believed that African Americans should have sufficient means of defending themselves. As opposed to merely issues dealing with civil rights, Malcolm X believed that black identity,

During the Civil Rights movement, two leaders stood out from the rest. These two men were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Although they were fighting for the same ideal, Martin luther king and Malcolm X had very different ways to achieve civil rights for all. Although both men’s ways worked for America, Martin Luther King Jr’s ways worked best because he understood that violence will not earn african americans the rights they deserve.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. were men that strove for civil rights despite their different opinions. Malcolm X belonged to the Nation of Islam where whites were thought of as the devil. Martin was a Baptist Minister that worked at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Malcolm had a rough childhood with people in his family dying and going insane. Martin Luther and Malcolm were both taught the ways of Christianity, but Malcolm grew up and became a Muslim while Martin continued being a Baptist. In Malcolm’s religion they thought that to end whites’ violence people need to be violent back. Dr. King’s religion believed that to end whites’ violence people need to act in non-violent ways. Malcolm Little had the belief that blacks should be better than whites, while Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. had the beliefs that all races should be equal. Although Martin Luther King, Jr.

believed in the racial and ethnic equality of all people, he protested in a nonviolent and peaceful way and formed his protests after Mahatma Gandhi, who worked for social change without using violence. Malcolm X offered a different perspective by advocating for and encouraging a separate black community to be established. Malcolm X promoted violence rather than nonviolence as a tool for self-defense and encouraged separation rather than integration. While Martin Luther King, Jr. preached of equality and a dream that all ethnicities would live together in harmony, Malcolm X personified the philosophy of “Black Power” and black self-determination, and promoted an adamant belief in the evils of the white man and white America. Malcolm X also, advocated for black supremacy and lived by the phrase “by any means necessary.” Martin Luther King, Jr. used nonviolent tactics with the influence of Jesus Christ teachings such as “turning the other cheek” even when presented with violence and physical harm. Malcolm X spoke to reporters about the Black nationalist Movement and the need to establish Black Rifle Clubs. These are only some of their ideas on how they did not always agree on how to go about seeking out a