In looking at how the actions of two of the Blount curriculum’s selected writers influenced historical change, progress, and thought I chose to focus on their respective views of race and race relations, in particular the Civil Rights Movement. I chose to write on the two diametrically opposed civil rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In the 1960’s the African American community became increasingly active in the struggle for civil rights. Although the concept race is an arbitrary societal construct based on the color of an individual’s skin and his or her geographic origin, it has had a profound impact not only on the founding and formation of our country but also the development modern American society. King and …show more content…
Following the non-violent principles of Gandhi, King ignited hope into the eyes of thousands of African Americans for equal rights. Early in his career he realized that non-violent protest was the most efficient way of achieving his goal. He stated that: "I had come to see early that the Christian doctrine of love operating through the Gandhian method of non-violence was one of the most potent weapons available to the Negro in his struggle for freedom." In seeking to continue and expand the non-violent struggle against discrimination, King, along with other Black ministers, set up the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. As a result of his consistent commitment to nonviolence, black college students began to launch a series of sit-ins at lunch counters and public places where segregation was existent (King 39).
The turning point in King’s career came in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. The SCLC launched a major demonstration to protest anti-Black attitudes in the South. Confrontations ensued between unarmed Black demonstrators and Birmingham police and firemen who used clubs, attack dogs, and fire hoses as a show of unnecessary force to quell the crowd. The publication of this demonstration and the incidents that ensued had profound effects across the country. It sparked protests across the country and prompted President John F. Kennedy to push for passage of new civil rights legislation.
The Birmingham incident resulted in
Dr. King was looking for support from members of society in order to create an effective change in society’s ethics. Moreover, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s large audience and public movement used nonviolent tactics, such as sit-ins, marches, and freedom rides to put the Civil Rights Movement in action. Before directly acting against the law, Dr. King had used other means to try to obtain justice for all; he used the four basic steps of a nonviolent campaign to decide how he would approach this cultural issue of racism: determination of whether injustices exist, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action (King 1). After the first three steps of his nonviolent campaign proved to be ineffective, he decided to seek direct action through a large demonstration of civil disobedience. Dr. King had a tremendous impact on the segregation issue in not just Birmingham, but the entire country, by leading the Civil Rights Movement, which eventually helped influence anti-segregation legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that affected a massive population of the entire country. Although Dr. King’s journey ended in his assassination, his relentless passion for equal rights was empowering to many and helped to create a more just society.
In Birmingham, Ala., in the spring of 1963, King's campaign to end segregation at lunch counters and segregated hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned attacks dogs and fire hoses on peaceful demonstrators.
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.
Dr. Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both black men, fighting for freedom in a white society. However, the word 'fighting' meant different things for each of them. For Malcolm X, it literally means violence, as he believed in 'an eye for an eye'. Martin Luther King, however, believed in peaceful protest, such as the Montgomery Bus Protests.
After the radical bus blockade, Martin Luther King Jr. continued to strive and motivate other by being one of the most prominent leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. During the beginnings of his equality involvement, he first demonstrated his leadership capabilities through the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, where he stood as president and made several dynamic changes on the base foundation of this organization (Cho). Moreover, the SCLC became a driving force into formulating specific civil rights transformations by their dedicating a majority of their efforts towards the abolishment of segregation through their practices of civil disobedience and nonviolent protests (Brunner 1). A significant
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
During the past century, the United States of America has wresled with the problem of inequality between black and white people. Two influential people who helped to combat racism and the inequality of man were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had two differentiated approaches to accomplish the same things for black. Both King and Malcolm X started their own organizations, organized rallies, and both gave speeches, but, their beliefs and
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were both great american motivational speakers. Bother being african american in the 1920s to the 1980s, in that day and age you had to be very powerful to reach out and be heard by the public. They both made a big impact on the world and they did it in 2 very similar ways, but also managed to do some things differently in the process.
Malcolm's life is a Horatio Alger story with a twist. His is not a "rags to
Ronald Regan once said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn 't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” In fact, American history has had a great deal of leaders that brought change by improving the lives of others. These leaders introduced new ideas, models, and theories to society breaking away from their social norms. Despite the fact, that we’ve had several remarkable individuals in American History it is equally important to remember that no one individual portrays any given event the same way. Although, their goals were similar, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X had different approaches towards the modern American Civil Rights Movement.
African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for colored people, the tactics they used to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had a common purpose for African Americans; justice and equality. Illustrated through their speeches, Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” and Malcolm X’s “Talk to Young African Americans”, the two did not share techniques or ideas. Yet both men had the support of millions and millions of people.
The Civil Rights Movement symbolized the challenge and opposition to the racial injustices and segregation that had been engrained in American society for hundreds of years. Events that took place in the 1950s and 1960s, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, sit-ins, speeches and numerous protests define this momentous time in United States history. Speeches during this period served as a means to inspire and assemble a specific group of people, for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X it was the black community that needed to rise up in hopes of achieving equal rights and voting rights for the blacks.
King’s picture appeared on the cover of the magazines and newspaper and he was called “a modern Moses”. A new organization, the Southern Christian leadership Conference, had formed to focus on achieving civil rights, King was elected its president. It led the Fifteenth amendment of the US constitution that said that all citizens of the United Sates had the rights to vote. In May, 1957, King helped organize a march in Washington D.C at Lincoln memorial. Dr. King came out with his first book “Stride towards Freedom “the Montgomery story, which told the story of the bus boycott and explained nonviolent protest. At a book signing, a mentally unbalanced woman stabbed Dr. King in the chest, but after three hour operation king’s life was saved. In 1960 Dr. King’s Family moved to Atlanta to assist his father as a co-pastor, of the Baptist church. His new positions gave him more time for civil rights work. Meanwhile, African American students, in other parts of the South, were also carrying a nonviolent protest sit–in at lunch counters and others segregated locations which fought for black dignity everywhere. Dr. King was arrested at an Atlanta sit-in and was jailed for four months. In 1961 black and white students began taking part in “freedom rides”. Dr. King and the SCLC were invited by the black leaders to help organize a protest to end segregation to achieve equal of eating facilities using a plan called `Project C`` . The protestors began with a few
In 1957, Dr. King and other civil rights activists formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This group was formed to help African Americans conduct non-violent protests for civil rights reform. One of the most famous protests by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference occurred in Birmingham, Alabama in April 1963. His intentions with this movement were to provoke mass arrests and draw attention using public media. Footage of Birmingham Police Department’s brutality towards the protesters was broadcast across the country and shocked many white Americans. This movement caused an increase of support from African Americans to Dr. King and the SCLC’s actions. This protest along with many others often ended with King being arrested or jailed.