Comparing The Philosophies Of Dr King And Malcolm X

Throughout the Civil Rights Movement, many leaders emerged that captured the attention of the American public. During this period, the leaders' used different tactics in order to achieve change. Of two of the better-known leaders, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the latter had a more positive influence in the progress of the movement.

is no such thing as failure in the use of this kind of force. `Resist

Two main black activist leaders of the early 1950's were Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Today, both of these men would be remembered as 'great leaders'. However, these two men had totally different approaches towards meeting the same main goal. Both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X fought for civil rights; however Malcolm X also wanted to have a separate black society whereas Martin Luther "wanted the integration of white people with black people. Malcolm X believed that violence was the key to his goat whereas Martin Luther King chose to take the non‑violent approach This is one reason why some black activists rejected, the approach of Martin Luther King to civil rights.

Comparing Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are to diverse individuals with two opposite personalities but both successfully succeeded in achieving freedom and bringing equality to black Americans discriminated against for many years even after the abolishment of slavery. Martin Luther King was born in 1929, in Georgia, Atlanta. Unlike the other black people in the southern states he was different he grew up in well off family who was freely educated a key factor in his personal achievements. During his younger adult years just like his father who was a preacher King decided to work in the Christian church as a Baptist Minster. He idolised Mohandas Karamchand

“I have a dream, that one day little black boys and black girls will join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sister and brother.” (de Kay 75)…Martin Luther King Jr.

    In “The letter from Birmingham City Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. and “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X both authors discuss injustice during the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. got put in Birmingham city jail and made a letter to Fellow Clergymen. Telling fellow Clergymen that there were fighting for their Civil Rights with nonviolence. And examples of how people were being treated and promises were being broken.  Malcolm X Speech took place in Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland Ohio in 1964 on April 3rd. During Malcolm X’s speech he told his followers that he wanted them to realize what they have done for the country and haven't gotten nothing back. And that he need to use violence he's going to use violence if whites keep on taking degrading them. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed nonviolence was the key in order to gain justice and their Civil Rights the deserved because the didn't want whites thinking wrong about them. While Malcolm X believed in violence because he has seen blacks being oppress after all they have have done for the country.

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.

Traditionally, examination of the black Civil Rights movement focuses on the careers of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Dr. King and Malcolm X had very different ideas on how to solve the racial discrimination in America. Dr. King was an integrationist who used non-violent protest to focus the media on the moral wrongs the dominant white society imposed on blacks. Dr. King believed that exposing the outrages of segregation would force the government to mend the system. Malcolm X was a separationist who believed in fighting back when attacked and advocated that the blacks in this country should take what by all means is rightfully theirs. The white system was corrupt, argued Malcolm X, and blacks should start their own system rather

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding”. One of my favorite quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the leading figure in the transcendentalism. Going by what the quote states, one can ask what role does violence even play in life? More specifically what role did it play in the Civil Rights struggle in the South? It’s evident that violence’s purpose in the struggle wasn’t for peace but for something else. Well that’s what it was for Malcolm X, a center figure in the Civil Rights struggle. For Malcolm X, violence was more of a response that anything else. It was a form of self-defense that he could no longer avoid. For Martin Luther King Jr. another center figure just like Malcolm X, violence was something else. For him violence was unnecessary. Violence in the Civil Rights struggle was inevitable for some not only because the segregationist whites were using such methods to assault the black people as well as their homes, but also at that time nonviolence was just another philosophy that some did and others didn’t. Even so violence did play an important role in this movement. Not the violence used by the blacks but instead the methods of violence used by the whites.

Malcolm X and Dr. King faced disunity in violence during the civil rights movement. Dr. King encouraged peaceful protests, and does not see obligation in violence to get a point across. “What is needed is a strategy for change, a tactical program which will bring the Negro into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible. So far, this has only been offered by the nonviolent movement.” (Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom p.g 3) Dr. King says that nobody should use self-defense if assualted during demonstration. That everyone should assume that there is a risk, and it would be contradicting to retaliate during a peaceful movement. “It is as ridiculous for a Negro to raise the question of self-defense in relation to nonviolence as it is for a soldier on the battlefield to say his is not going to take any risks. He is there because he believes that the freedom of his country is worth the risk of his life. The same is true of the nonviolent demonstrator. He sees the misery of his people so clearly that he volunteers to suffer in their behalf and put an end to their plight.” (Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom p.g 4) Malcolm’s attitude to violence is that anyone that is taking what belongs to you like your civil rights and freedom is a criminal. It is under your legal right to claim what is

I think Martin Luther King Jr’s philosophy of nonviolence and inclusion is better than Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary” approach, because if you use nonviolence to get somewhere great then no one can stop you. I also think this, because if you incorporate violence into change in segregation then you are just giving white people reason to segregate black people, and it creates bad stereotypes. The book No Crystal Stair shows the hard life of a black man in the 60s, but by using a peaceful way of promoting change (via opening a bookstore) Lewis was able to have a good long life. Most situations with disagreeing sides are either won by the peaceful calmer side or the peaceful side is the more recognized. This has definitely shone through in today's culture, as until 9th grade I did not know any thing of Malcolm X, except the name, which I only learned in 8th grade from a book title. King on the other hand I have known about since 1st grade; I mean there is a entire day named for him. All in all to me it seems like Martin Luther King Jr’s philosophy of nonviolence and inclusion is a better way of dealing with things.

In the pursuit of social justice and civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael, sought to amend a flawed system. To accomplish this task, these men entered the armory and chose to wield nonviolence as their weapon. Their goal: to combat violence with nonviolence, to fight hate with love, and to spread equality through peace. In the end they succeeded. Violence breeds violence, hate breeds hate, it is an ineffective approach and an archaic mean to resolving societies issues. Malcolm X and Carmichael were both extreme individuals but that does not make them violent. They attacked social justice and civil rights passionately and assertively, not violently. The methods used

Dr. King and Malcolm X strived to achieve equality for blacks under the law, more specifically, voting rights, desegregation, and more representation in government and politics. However, both men differed immensely in their tactics and strategies. For Dr. King, the negotiations could be brought about by the persistence of a nonviolent plan where, the oppressed people’s determination would overcome the will of the oppressor in the hearts and minds of the nation. He firmly believed in the principles of Mahatma Gandhi’s method of nonviolence resistance, which had been successful in driving the British out of India. For example, according to King, one of the resisters, or black mans goals is not to humiliate the opponent, (the white man) but to win his friendship and understanding. Dr. King proposed a passive resistance, based on “the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice” (“Pilgrimage to Non Violence” King, 112). He claimed the center of nonviolence is based on the principle of love, or understanding. Dr. King emphasized that the white man should not be held responsible for the minorities and blacks being oppressed. Here is where the two leaders oppose each other. Malcolm X felt social injustice and racism had endured too long, and it was

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

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal" (King, “I HAVE A DREAM…,” pg.4 ¶.5). Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were major figures in the fight for racial equality but their ideals were diametrically opposed. In MLK JR’s March on Washington speech, he calls for peaceful resistance and integration into an equal society. Malcolm X, however, disagrees with that in his Message to Grassroots and argues equality cannot be obtained peacefully and that living together wouldn’t be much better than slavery. By comparing the two men’s goals and messages expressed in these speeches we can gain an understanding of the feelings of the general populace on the issues of racial inequity.