Selene Sandoval
Professor Solheim
History 108
CRN # 20244
16 October 2016
Martin Luther King VS Malcolm X 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.
In order to understand the importance of these two men, lets first examine what the Civil Rights Movement was in America. For centauries, African Americans have been minorities in society. Author Britta Waldschmidt-Nelson stated that, “Slavery as a legal institution existed in North America for more than 130 years before the founding of the United States in 1776.” (Pg.5) In 1865 the North won the Civil War, and also during that year the abolishment of slavery across the whole United States had accorded with the passing of the Thirteen Amendment. Despite the fact, that the United States passed such Amendment, most
MLK and many other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement was willing to identify and take action against the discrimination. They felt it was necessarily to create conflict rather than living a life of repression. The search to rise from the dark depths of discrimination rewarded the African American race the “unfettered realms” of equality in life. This movement represents how great achievements begin with a conflict in the
The Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s birthed the most prominent figures in the battle against racism in the United States. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. are immortalized as the men who stood up and spoke out during the most crucial time in US History for African American activism. Though often brought up in the same vein, the two had complete opposite ideology about how to reach equality. Their influence created many prominent groups in the 60s against mistreatment of African Americans, including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). According to the name of this group, they were a nonviolent team of young black activists that stemmed from MLK’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Apparent in their name, they shared the same peaceful approach as MLK, but over time and as the hardships of the movement began to callous the young group they shifted towards the ‘by-any-means-necessary’ approach of Malcolm X. Through the excerpts in “Takin it to the Streets,” one can see the stark difference between Malcolm X’s more aggressive approach, MLK’s loving approach, and the SNCC shifting its views over time but always maintaining a steadfast commitment to the cause and a youthful bravado.
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
In the 1950’s and 1960’s a momentous movement broke out in the United States in pursuit of making a change in our nation for the better. This movement, titled the Civil Rights Movement, spread like a wildfire throughout the nation and made it possible for African Americans to have rights equal to those of whites. While at the end, this movement was successful in desegregating everything and achieving equality in the laws that were passed, it was not successful in integrating all people and changing the actions of others so that African Americans were treated equal to the white’s. Civil Rights Activists Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, Rosa Parks, and many other inspirational black leaders played key roles in lighting the fire that was
People all over the world know that Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. did great things in their life times. But which one was more effective during his time? The answer to this question is somewhat biased, usually depending on your race, geographical location, and if you or someone you know has directly experienced the effects of the actions of these men. An Indian would choose Mohandas Gandhi over Martin Luther King Jr. without even thinking about it. African Americans are going to choose Martin Luther King Jr. because he fought for their rights. Someone living in or near South Africa or India would most likely choose Mohandas Gandhi as the more effective person, whereas a person near
If one man never steps forward to show all the others that change is possible, nothing will ever change. When you look back at history of the American civil rights movement, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are still often two of the first names even someone of today’s society may think of. They were, and still are, some of the most influential men to ever live. As young African-American men living during a time of harsh global, but most importantly, national racism and prejudice; teaching effective techniques to achieve peace and equality to others was extremely difficult for Dr. King and Malcolm X.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X both made significant contributions to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Almost sixty years later, we are still struggling with the same problems, such as discrimination, economic, housing, and no equal justice. People now worry if they are protected from racism, especially because of the recent commencement of President Trump. His position has led many Americans to worry about going backward to the civil war and genocide. Despite the fact that the United States has made some progress in terms of equality and civil rights since the time of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, there are still exists racism and discrimination in this country based on color and faith. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X
The two most influential civil rights activists in American history were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. They supported equal rights for every race, but when comparing MLK’s “I Have a Dream’ and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet,” one sees the similarities in their rhetorical styles and differences in their tone and message. As seen in “I Have a Dream,” MLK has a more civilized and peaceful solution to the nation’s problems; whereas in X’s he has a will to do whatever it may take to solve the problems.
In this book, King is clearly speaking to a contemporary and mostly white audience. And the bulk of the book is devoted to answering the titular question. Time and again he steps out of the narrative to rebut various criticisms from contemporaries who said that his movement was too militant, too extreme, too impractical, too disorganized, too out-of-touch with ordinary people, too disengaged from the political process. The year 1963 marked the 100-year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and Martin Luther King asks two questions: why should we wait for emancipation? And aware of what White Americans were doing to Black Americans, "What is the Negro doing for himself? (King p. 8) Martin Luther King concludes by pointing out the importance of expanding on the current campaign, what his hopes are for the future, why he wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, why the campaign was the right thing to do, why America was a better place in January of 1964 than it was in January of 1963, and why America can't wait any longer to be wholly free. King examines the history of the civil rights struggle, noting tasks
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
America in the 1960s was not the finest time for African Americans, especially in the South. There was racism, injustice and inequality. However, the ‘devotees’ of the civil rights movement were dedicated and passionate about making a difference. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those pioneers that remained true in what he believed in no matter what the circumstance.
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.
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.
"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.
In one of my first classes, we deconstructed the myth surrounding Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and revealed the government’s utter disapproval of King after he spoke out against the Vietnam War. King’s story was rewritten and integrated into the American history narrative, but the unconstitutional treatment of African Americans continued long after his unfortunate death. I aspired to change this historical current, but becoming a civil rights lawyer had not yet occurred to me. However, as my studies progressed, I encountered several revolutionary figures, and they all theorized that change required action. Malcolm X remarked that the black struggle for civil rights was not just a black problem or an American problem, but a world problem. I took his statement as a call to action, and I understood that the only way I could bring about serious change was through my own active