Martin Luther King’s influences for his Civil rights Movement and writing his letter to the Clergymen were similar to ideas of fellow anti-oppression promoter Elijah Muhammad. However, Muhammad’s “by any means necessary” approach vs. MLK’s “peace, non-violence” movement was vastly different than what King had in mind. The two wanted the same end goal of equality for blacks, but had very different ways of completing their task. MLK took what his predecessors did and fine-tuned their ways of thinking into something that would benefit the world as a whole and not just a specific group of people. Moreover, in order to understand where Elijah Muhammad formed his ‘by any means necessary” approach in contrast to MLK’s “nonviolent” philosophy, it is necessary to learn about Muhammad’s life and decisions leading up to being the leader of the Nation of Islam.
Elijah Muhammad, born Robert Poole, grew up in a poverty-infested area in the southern plains of Georgia. He was forced to quit school in the fourth grade and work in the brickyards to help support his twelve other siblings. During his adolescence, he experienced an unspeakable amount of prejudice and violence such as, beatings, rape, arrest without reasonable cause, unfair education and health opportunities, and unsolved murders toward the blacks in his community. Later in life, once he grew up and became a father, he moved his wife, kids, and parents to Detroit in hope to escape the violence and better opportunity.
When he moved to Detroit, he heard about a fellow named Wallace D. Fard. Fard, the founder of the Nation Of Islam (NOI), who presented an Islamic way of life that catered to the lifestyle of a poor black man in America. Muhammad, immediately attended one of Fard’s speeche...
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...istians. MLK, however, chose to stay true to Christianity, which promoted ant-war and peace, while Muhammad chose the NOI.
Muhammad’s “by any means necessary” philosophy wasn’t a non-violent approach. He was more concerned about the liberation of black people only and not everyone as a race. His method of Defense for African Americans made the “Nation of Islam” seem more militant in comparison to MLK’s “act without violence” movement. MLK, however, desired peace for all races and religions. King believed that trading fire with fire would only resort in a bigger flame, and that the oppressor would soon become the oppressed. In all, MLK and Muhammad wanted to rid the suffering of mistreatment, and bring forth peace and prosperity as best as they could by standing up for their race. They fought so their oppressors could recognize blacks for what they truly are, human.
However, it was what happened in his life that made Malcolm X the man who people remember today. From a very early age, Little lived in fear of racism and hate groups, much of it rooting from his father’s murder by white supremacists. He was effectively orphaned by 13, as his mother was placed in a mental institution, and lived until he was 20 in several different foster homes. He was arrested for a crime and once released, went on to commit several crimes, including using and distributing drugs, etc. It was when he was imprisoned that he found the Nation of Islam, who helped him when he was released from prison to find a new life. From them, he was able to attain great oratory skills and create an environment when he spoke in which the people around him, white and black alike, felt empowered and equal. Once he discovered corruption and began to disdain the Nation of Islam, he became independent and was later assassinated. However, he along with MLK, were empowered by their stories, Malcolm’s being one of hatred, poverty, hope, and truth, that changed him to become a stimulus for African American equality in
According to Wallace Fard, “Christianity was the white man’s religion.” Do to this thought; Fard founded the Nation Of Islam in the 1930s. It was believed that Christianity was forced upon the African Americans during slavery. Members of the Nation of Islam worship Allah as their God, and
Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929, was well known for his nonviolent movement to bring justice and to an end to the segregation of the people in the United States back in the 1950s. With King being the leader of a peaceful protest, it failed to bring equally to the colored people. Martin Luther King, Jr. was labeled as an “outsider” who was “hatred and violence” and that his actions were “unwise and untimely” from the Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen (clergymen). In response, on the day of April 16, 1963, he wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to declare and defense his movement was not “unwise and untimely” at all. To analyze his points, King used the powerful literary devices of pathos- use of an emotional appeal.ethos-
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X DBQ Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both African American civil rights leaders wanting to bring freedom to black people during the 1960s. Even though both leaders wanted to liberate black people, their philosophies were drastically different. Malcolm X wanted racial separation, while Martin Luther King wanted both races to coexist. Religion is also a major part of this situation because most African Americans, including MLK in America, were Christian. Malcolm X’s goal was to turn all people who follow his path into Muslims.
Malcolm X Read an excerpt from the book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Malcolm X and Alex Haley. In this part of the book, Malcolm discusses his quest for knowledge. He starts off by telling us about how he wrote to his Harlem, hustler friends and told them all about Allah and Mr. Elijah Muhammad, the two main figures in the Islamic religion. He never got a single reply and figured it was because the average hustler and criminal couldn't read. He also thought that maybe they thought he had gone crazy, because after all he was writing to them about the devil; the white devil.
This book was intriguing, fascinating, and balanced with a unique writing style. It’s a book that highlights every important aspect in Kings life, especially his work with the ministry, his vision of racial progress, and the important person he became. After reading this book I have come to the conclusion that the purpose for writing this biography was to convey the truth. To tell the truth of what actually happened in MLKs life from a fair point of view. From someone who would not judge or show bias in their writing toward King.
Malcolm set everything in motion when he converted to the Nation of Islam, an African American movement that combined elements of Islam with Black Nationalism. While in prison, his siblings persuaded him to write to the Nation’s leader, Elijah Muhammad. X was uneasy at first, but came around shortly. Malcolm wrote Muhammad a one-page letter each day in curiosity about the Nation of Islam. Muhammad replied as the “Messenger of Allah” welcoming Malcolm into the “true knowledge” (Haley 195). Before X’s release in nineteen fifty-two, he went under an intense self-educated program by reading books in the prison library, and even memorizing an entire dictionary. He also sharpened his forensic skills by participating in debate classes. When Malcolm was released from prison he had his first official visit with Muhammad in Chicago, he devoted his life to the Muslim ministry. Soon Malcolm began traveling and preaching with other ministers. He picked up their techniques and devoured their knowledge. Malcolm quickly rose in the Nation of Islam ranks becoming minister of Temple number eleven in Boston and Muhammad’s most effective recruiter and spokesman. Soon after, X was rewarded minister of Temple number seven in Harlem, New York, the largest and most prestigious after the Chicago Headquarters and eventually named the National Representative of the Nation of Islam, second in rank behind Muhammad himself. Under X’s lieutenancy the nation claimed a membership of five-hundred thousand, as the numbers grew X’s teachings began to change; he wanted to make a vast difference. He spread the glorious history of African Americans. He urged the Nation to become more active in the civil rights protest instead of being a critic on the side. X articulated the Nation’s racial doctrines of evil
This paper will discuss the different stages of thought processes the former Nation of Islam minister, Malcolm X went through during his lifetime in terms of how he viewed white people, but more specifically “the white man” in America. The reason the focus is on White Americans is because these were the people outside of the Nation of Islam that shaped his life good or bad and put him on the path where he eventually transformed from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X who was one of the most polarizing and controversial figures during his lifetime and even nearly 50 years after his death the name Malcolm X causes certain people to shudder. Malcolm X became a well-known figure during the 50’s and 60’s during the civil rights movement which involved figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. This was a pivotal era in American history because for the first time that there was major push towards full rights for African Americans. When Malcolm X came on the scene he put fear into White people because they weren’t used to hearing the truth about race relations in America and many of them felt that things were just fine because they themselves were living life high on the hog while at the same time exploiting Blacks. Because this type of talk from a black person was new to them they misinterpreted his views as “hate speech” and accused him of trying to incite violence when he was simply trying wake his people up to properly deal with what was happening to them.
the segregationists, resulting in the injury and deaths of many of King’s followers. With these points in mind, King came to the conclusion that the best strategy in gaining the rights of African American was the use of non-violent protest. He believed that violence only “intensifies evil,';
The NOI was founded by Wallace D Ford in 1930, with Elijah Mohammed as the “prophet,” later replaced by the more famous. Malcolm X. The Nation of Islam hated white America as much as white America hated them. They are all a lot. They campaigned for equality but segregation to remain. separate, but to gain the same facilities as white people had and not.
Martin Luther King Jr. felt that blacks should use non-violent civil disobedience and employ the principle of “turn the other cheek”. King thought blacks should transcend their humanity and received more support from those with more conservative views. This was likely attributed to King’s upbringing in the seminary. Now Malcolm X felt King’s philosophy was feeble. He employed the biblical principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”. Growing up on the streets, attributed to Malcolm X encouraging his radical followers to seek revenge and reserve their love solely for other blacks. This distance between Martin Luther King Jr’s thinking and Malcolm X’s was the difference between the American dream and the American reality.
“At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love” this is a quote by MLK on nonviolent resistance. This quote by Malcolm X illustrates his view of nonviolent resistance ¨I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to the American black man's problem, just to avoid violence.¨ The inspiration for Malcolm X’s philosophy of self defense and ¨treat others how they treat you¨ philosophy came from a lifetime of being treated as inhuman. Before Malcolm was even born his mother and father were targets of the KKK because Malcolm's father was a preacher who was also a member of a local chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association led by black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey.3 Malcolm's father was killed 1931 and was discovered by some train tracks; the police declared his death a suicide, Malcolm's mother never mentally recovered from this event and was hospitalized in 1937 and Malcolm was left with no family to raise him at the age of 12.3 After a teacher explained to Malcome there was no point for a black person to pursue an education, he decided to drop out at the age of 15, he then pursued an unwanted life of crime and was arrested in 1946.3 When Malcolm was released, he was an outspoken member of the Black Panther Party, and became the figurehead of the Nation of Islam.3 Though the BPP and the Nation of Islam were closely connected they did have
Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated nonviolence to suppress oppression in his essay, “The Power of Nonviolent Action.” King's factual and reasoned approach is intended to win his adversaries over by appealing to their consciences. King realized that the best strategy to liberate African-Americans and gain them justice was to use nonviolent forms of resistance. He wanted to eliminate the use of violence as a means to manage and establish cooperative ways of interacting. Moreover, King states that the “oppressed people must organize themselves into a militant and nonviolent mass movement” in order to achieve the goal of integration. The oppressed must “convince the oppressors that all he seeks is justice, for both himself and the white man” (King, 345). Furthermore, King agreed with Gandhi that if a law is unjust, it is the duty of the oppressed to break the law, and do what they believe to be right. Once a law is broken, the person must be willing to accept the ...
Muhammad was a complex man who was driven by ideology and who often did things that puzzled his followers and convert...
One of the world’s best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies, Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), synthesized ideals drawn from many different cultural traditions. Recent studies of him emphasize the extent to which his ideals were rooted in African-American religious traditions which were then shaped by his education. The image of a social activist and leader was the result of extensive formal education, strong personal values and licit ethics. This excellence in leadership can be traced to his character which is shaped by his moral values and personality. We look at MLK and these traits to reveal the rationalization of his rise to transracial leadership in our society. Through studying the life and example of Martin Luther King, Jr., we learn that his moral values of integrity, love, truth, fairness, caring, non-violence, achievement and peace were what motivated him. King is not great because he is well known, he is great because he served as the cause of peace and justice for all humans. King is remembered for his humanity, leadership and his love of his fellow man regardless of skin color. This presence of strong moral values developed King’s character which enabled him to become one of the most influential leaders of our time. Integrity is a central value in a leader’s character and it is through integrity that King had vision of the truth. The truth that one day this nation would live up to the creed, "all men are created equal". No man contributed more to the great progress of blacks during the 1950’s and 1960’s than Martin Luther King, Jr. He was brought up believing "one man can make a difference", and this is just what he did. Integrity has a large effect on what we think, say and do, it is through King’s thoughts and actions that enabled so many people to have trust and faith in him. Through King’s integrity he believed that America, the most powerful and richest nation in the world will lead the way to a revolution of values. This revolution will change the way society views itself, shifting from a "thing-orientated" society to a "person-orientated" society. When this occurs, King believed that racism will be capable of being conquered and this nation will be "Free at last." King’s unconditional love for all humans was another value that strongly influenced his character and allowed him to have such excellent leadership ability.