Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Mlk

Two men with a wish of Civil Rights in the 1960’s had very different views but were able to admire each other at a distance. Without one or the other who knows what America would be like today. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in the middle class, his family wasn’t rich, but they got by. With strong ties to the Christian community, King learned of the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent movement in India and aspired to be a pastor like his father. Since his childhood, he’d wanted to make a peaceful change. Malcolm Little, who later changed his name to Malcolm X, was separated from his family and had to live in a series of foster homes. After being imprisoned for armed robbery, he discovered Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, which appealed

Although there were pros and cons to both sides, MLK’s philosophy was ultimately more influential than Malcolm’s. Through how their role models inspired them and lead to their approaches to solving the issue of racism, they were able to rise up and become the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Their opposing views on schools and the educational system mirrored their ideas to the movement, total separation or the demise of separation. How differently they thought about the idea of protesting. A lot of their ideas were opposites. It’s clear that MLK was a superior influence in the 60s than Malcolm X. His ideas of peace represent strength and restraint as well as maturity. His nonviolent protests and powerful speeches are some of the greatest in American history. There were important parts that weren’t included, such as the fact Malcolm X was suspended from the Nation of Islam in 1963 by Elijah Muhammad, as he had become too powerful. He formally left the Nation of Islam three months later. He was assassinated by a black man named Thomas Hagen on February 21, 1965. Hagen was a part of the Nation of Islam. This is an exceptionally important piece of information to have while comparing the two because Malcolm X preached violence, claiming it was the only solution only to be killed a man who held very similar beliefs to him. MLK was also assassinated. He was killed by a white man named James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968. Issues of civil rights seem to have never fully gone away. The organization Black Lives Matter was founded on July 13, 2013. This organization participates in protests against violence and racial injustices toward black people. They like MLK, don’t resort to violence and instead work to fight violence with the truth. This leads to the question of whether or not there will ever be full equality between black and white