Compare and Contrast the Work of Martin Luther King Jr & Malcolm X

However, a few individuals had decided to step up and take action against this racial segregation and through their inspiring speeches and interviews, they created change in the nation. These individuals are none other than Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Even though each man had supported a different philosophy for how the ideal nation should be as well as distinctive methods to achieve that, the problem they were facing was the same, to help the Negros get out of their prejudice. To create change through a nation, a leader has to speak out to its people with a unique philosophy that can spark ideas and change beliefs. The philosophies of these men both vary greatly and the model nation they wanted was also different.

Ultimately, the unification of the African Americans had a great impact on the outcome of the war for civil rights as well as a positive reputation for Ki... ... middle of paper ... ...roduced more conflicts between ethnic groups within and outside the U.S. that would go beyond the problem of racism. His ideals of peaceful protest eventually led to the ratification of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, which outlawed segregation in the U.S. (The Civil Rights Act of 1964, www.wikipedia.org). Without King’s ideology and application of nonviolent beliefs and protests, King might not have become one of the greatest civil rights leaders in American history. The African Americans along with many other races in the United States succeeded in attaining their rightful freedom and equality through King’s illustrations of peaceful values and protests. King spread his principles throughout our nation, gaining support from a variety of people and ultimately ending segregation.

Both men ultimately became towering icons of contemporary African-American culture and had a great influence on black Americans. However, King had a more positive attitude than Malcolm X, believing that through peaceful demonstrations and arguments, blacks will be able to someday achieve full equality with whites. Malcolm X's despair about life was reflected in his angry, pessimistic belief that equality is impossible because whites have no moral conscience. King basically adopted on an integrationalist philosophy, whereby he felt that blacks and whites should be united and live together in peace. Malcolm X, however, promoted nationalist and separatist doctrines.

He especially wanted to teach the young blacks that equality could be gained through the use of non-violence. The main reason King used nonviolence was to create a situation so different from the usual, that it will open the door to consideration of desegregation and equal opportunity. King also wanted African Americans to never forget their dreams and preached that in the eyes of God, blacks should be treated as equals because they are as good as any other race. Martin Luther King was a very strong public speaker and had to put across his beliefs in an imagina... ... middle of paper ... ...tice.” Martin Luther King is a well-known, inspiring man, to all cultures of the world. King was and still is one of the most influential heroes.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were two leaders that African Americans admired and appreciated, because they both risk their lives for equality. Although they had different approaches; Malcolm X and King both had an impact on African Americans during the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his knowledge about segregation with African Americans. King also warned African Americans that it might take time for a change to cone. In other words, he told African Americans that segregation laws would not be changed in one day.

I have a dream that one day… little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls. I have a dream today.” King also uses parallelism to emphasize that the nation must come together to “let freedom ring” for every American from every corner of the country. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the greatest and most influential speeches written in the modern day. His use of connotations, hyperbole, and metaphor appealed to his audience’s sense of logic, morality, and just plain old common sense “that all men are created equal” and to deny this is to deny the intention of the creator. Further, Dr. King’s use of parallelism allowed him to drive his point across “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” and that the country must be transformed into a nation of tolerance, acceptance, and peace.

Consequently, during the 1960’s racial, political, and socioeconomic divisions were abundant and only through inclusion of all people to promote unity could society become better. Therefore, Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy made the most sense for the 1960’s because he promoted the inclusion of people from all backgrounds to produce harmonious living within our society. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy included an effort between all people to spark legislative and social change in society. Martin Luther King often supported working together with different people to achieve success, and he worked with many people, organizations, and presidential administrations to achieve justice and equality for all citizens. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech”, he spoke of integration between people of different races.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. 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 their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.

Malcolm used an “any means necessary" approach in his fight. He was fighting to show African Americans that they should be proud of whom they were. The empowerment of his people was more important to him than living peacefully with whites. Although the tactics they used differed with one in other, King and Malcolm both inspired African Americans to fight for justice and the civil rights they deserved. King believed that the way to secure civil rights for African Americans was through a nonviolent approach.

King aimed to achieve total integration and equality in the U.S.A, and for all to live in a loving environment. He wanted to change America for the good and he felt that greed needed to be eradicated from society if he was to achieve his goal. But King is best known for his strong belief in non-violent means of achieving his targets, even in the face of white violence he told blacks they should love their enemy – this bemused a lot of blacks but King argued that this kept Blacks on the morale high ground. The Montgomery bus boycotts gave King a chance to spring into the limelight as a leader, King was a key figure in organising cab runs and continually motivating boycotters, due to his gift of speech. The boycotts were a success and this was largely thanks to Kings contribution, he gave people new hope of achieving things they had never dreamt about before.