The Effectiveness of Martin Luther King Jr, as Opposed to Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois and Malcom X

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The Influence of One Man

After slavery was abolished, African Americans worked to integrate into mainstream American society. During the twentieth century many African American civil rights leaders led the African American civil rights movement. All of them had different ideas and approaches to further improve the status for the African American individual in attempt to gain civil equality. The pioneer civil rights leaders of the twentieth century were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois. Their respected ideas were known to have contradicted with each other. Malcolm X, a black supremacist was a member of the NOI (Nation of Islam) and based his platforms of teachings off from religion. Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach towards gaining equality was of nonviolent actions. This proved to have been the most effective way to solidify through legislature the civil rights of African Americans within America. With that solid, Martin Luther King Jr. was the most productive and influential African American civil rights leader within the civil rights movement.

Booker T. Washington believed that by first gaining Economic respect, civil right for African Americans will also slowly, but gradually become achieved. Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Academy, an institution for African Americans. At Tuskegee Academy, Washington states: “My plan was to have them, while performing this service, taught the latest and best methods of labour, so that the school would not only get the benefit of their efforts, but the students themselves would be taught to see not only utility in labour, but beauty and dignity” (Washington, Up from Slavery, an Autobiography). Booker T. Washington accepted the fact of white supremacy. His ideas focused more...

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"Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)." Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014. .

Washington, Booker T. Up from Slavery, an Autobiography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. Print.

"W.E.B. Du Bois, 1868-1963: He Fought for Civil Rights for Black People."VOA. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2014. < http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/a-23-2007-02-03-voa1-83135272/128013.html>

Williams, Donnie, and Wayne Greenhaw. The Thunder of Angels: The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the People Who Broke the Back of Jim Crow. Chicago: Lawrence Hill, 2006. Print.

X, Malcolm, “It shall be the ballot or the bullet” Washington Heights, NY IN. March 29, 1964 < http://www.wyzant.com/resources/lessons/history/hpol/malcolm-x/ballot-or-bullet>

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