Malcolm X Philosophies

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Discuss the extent to which the philosophies and activisms of Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X encouraged young African-Americans to “Stand up” for civil rights between 1950 and 1965. Martin Luther King Junior is regarded as the most influential civil rights leader in the history of America, and is certainly the most remembered, and coming a close second would be the different thinking’s and beliefs of Malcolm X. These two men both fought for the freedom and civil liberties of the African-Americans in the civil rights movement. These men both had a similar overall goal, they differed on the means and tactics of getting to this goal. Kings core belief was that of “active non-violence”, while X’s belief of “Black Nationalism” had a resentment …show more content…

X’s belief in Black Nationalism meant that he wanted African-Americans to have a pride in their community and otherness, and to take pride in the fact that they aren’t “white”. This was not seen as a good thing by many people, including some prominent figures in the civil rights movement. X did have his support though, historian Peter Ling stated that “[X] had every reason to mistreat whites”, and his treatment of whites could be seen as payback for his father’s death when he was a child. Ling also has his criticisms of X stating “[His] influence rested on ‘shock value’”. X later in life became a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, and this is where he gained most of his influence. He did not do a lot for the civil right movement except inspire through his great oratory skills that gained him and the Nation support from many …show more content…

Cone a professor at the union of theological seminary is quoted saying “no one had a greater impact on the cultural impact of African-Americans during the second half of the 20th century than Malcolm X” and he goes on to state “No area of the African-American community escaped Malcolm’s influence”. This clearly shows that even today Malcolm X’s impact is still felt, inspiring many to fight for civil rights. King and X were both very different people, but that should not draw away from the fact that they helped many African-Americans “stand up” for themselves and for their people during the civil rights movement. Neither of these men should be ignored when discussing the impacts of the civil rights movement as they both had massive impacts in the movement, and both were very successful in inspiring people, which will forever be their main

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