Almost nearly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, many African Americans in Southern states still inhabited an unequal world of segregation and other various forms of oppression, including race-inspired violence. A perfect example of the segregation that was going on in the South was Jim Crow. The “Jim Crow” law is the former practice of segregating black people in the U.S in which was mostly upheld in the Southern States. The local and state levels secluded them from classrooms and bathrooms, from theaters and train cars, from juries and legislatures. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court induced the “separate but equal” doctrine that formed the basis for state-sanctioned discrimination, in which drew a lot of attention from national and international. In the treacherous decade and a half that followed, civil rights activists used nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to bring change, and the federal government made decisions with initiatives such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Many of the civil rights activists chose the path of nonviolence as a way of connecting and trying to make the people understand. However other chose the other route like violence to let a message out that people of color should not be treated unfairly. Many leaders from the African American community and beyond in which began during the Civil Rights era, includes Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Andrew Goodman and others. They risked and some lost their lives for what they believed to be right, of freedom and equality.
During the decade between 1955 and 1965, while most black leaders worked in the civil rights movement to integrate blacks into the everyday American life, Malcolm X preached the ...
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...also the denial of legitimate voting rights to Blacks.
Malcolm X was an activist on violence, being that it was solution to all of the problems of segregation. He states “We declare our right on this earth, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary, our objective is complete freedom, justice and equality by any means necessary.”
Even though, Malcolm X did not believe in the most positive views of demolishing segregation and discrimination he believed it would work. His views were toward a greater America that everyone would be able to be equal and not be above one another. Malcolm X had a vision and knew how he wanted changed to be.
Works Cited
Malcolm X, the Ballot or the Bullet, Cleveland Ohio, 1964.
If there was any one man who demonstrated the anger, the struggle, and the beliefs of African Americans in the 1960s, that man was Malcolm X. The African American cultural movement of the 1920s lost momentum in the 1930s because of worldwide economic depression. The Great Depression helped to divert attention from cultural to economic matters. Even before the stock market crash of 1929, unemployment and poverty among blacks was exceptionally high. It was under these difficult conditions that Malcolm X experienced his youth in the South. Malcolm X was a very controversial character in his time. He grew up in a very large family. His father hunted rabbits to sell to the white people for money, and his mother stayed home to take care of all the children. Several times when he was young, his family was forced to relocate due to the racist groups that would burn or run them out of their home like the Ku Klux Klan. One of these groups called the Black Legion killed his father by tying him to the railroad tracks. Malcolm’s father had life insurance but was not given to his family because they said that Earl Little had committed suicide. This was quite impossible because his head was bashed in and he tied himself to the railroad. Without his father’s income, Malcolm's family was forced to get government help and food. Applying for this type of assistance brought many white Social Workers into their home. They asked questions and interrogated the entire family. Malcolm’s mother always refused to talk or let them in.
On the other hand, Malcolm X believed in the utilization of any denotes indispensable to reach his goals. The one area is the kindred attributes between the two. In fact, one could verbalize that Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were consummate antitheses. Martin Luther King was able to enlighten the world an edification. He showed us that goals can be reached without violence. Although , Malcolm X may have reached his goals, but he engendered nonessential violence along the way.. You may argue that even though Martin Luther King’s protests were halcyon, violence still occurred. The difference in my opinion is that the Hangings and attacks that African Americans faced were out of their control. It was the decision of those that they were protesting against to bellicosity beat them and kill them. Malcolm X on the other hand was many times the initiator of violence. He brought violence to his protests and ergo engendered extra violence, which can be deemed to be nonessential. At the terminus of the day many would favor of the lessons which Martin Luther King Jr uplifted as his decisions and outcomes can influence the decisions of future generations in times of conflict. Malcolm X’s conception of doing anything to reach his goals is not a good representation for future generations as it remotely
He inspires his audiences differently. Because he is a true believer of getting what you want through aggressiveness, Malcolm X encourages the African American community that “it’s time to stop singing and start swinging.” (X 214) In other words it’s time to stop being peaceful and nonviolent and start being aggressive and physical to fight for justice. In fact, in his speech Malcolm X shows that peaceful marching, and protesting will not bring justice to blacks and peaceful words will also not guarantee justice. To continue convey his message through aggressive tone he uses Hitler’s example from WW11. He explains how the United States and other countries used violence to take Hitler from power. Because of that, he encourage blacks to stop being friendly to the oppressor and start being aggressive and violence towards them. To add to that, Malcolm X also inspires blacks to control the economy of their community and not let a white men lead the
Until the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his life’s work was dedicated to the nonviolent actions of blacks to gain the freedoms they were promised in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. He believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, 1963). These injustices had become so burdensome to blacks that they were “plunged into an abyss of despair” (King, 1963). The nonviolent actions of the sit-ins, boycotts, and marches were so the “individual could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths…to help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism” and ultimately lead to “inevitably opening the door to negotiation” (King, 1963). Not only was King’s approach effective with the older black generation, it was also successful with white people. They did not feel threatened when approached by King. White people gained a sense of empathy towards the plight of black freedom as King’s promise of nonviolence did not threaten their livelihood. Malcolm X viewed the world similarly to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., however; his beliefs to changing the status quo were slightly different from his political counterpart. Malcolm X realized that “anger could blind human vision” (X, 1965). In realizing this, X knew that in order to achieve racial freedom blacks had to “forget hypocritical politics and propaganda” (X, 1965). While Malcolm X was more so an advocate for violent forces against white people than King, X merely used force when it became necessary for defense. According to X, “I don’t go for non-violence if it also means a delayed solution. I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to American black man’s problem” (X, 1965). However, this le...
Malcolm X always believed that in order to conquer their rightful place in society, the There are many differences between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X believed that only through force could blacks conquer their rightful place in society. He blamed many of the conditions that blacks in the United States lived in on the whites. Martin Luther King appeared calm and idealistic. Martin insisted blacks to earn their just place in society by attaining a sense of worth, high ethical standards, diligence and leadership, using non-violence as their impartial weapon. He addressed that in God’s sight, people of all races are equals and there is no such thing as a superior or inferior
From 1954 to 1968 the Civil Rights movement was growing at a fast rate. During this time segregation and racism was alive and in full effect. More African- American people were starting to stand up and believe in the rights that wasn’t giving to them, and that they should be treated as equals. Although African-Americans had some freedoms the constant mistreatment, verbal and physical abuse was enough and it was time to take a stand to make a change. Great leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X made a path way for the moment and even though the two had different views of handling the situation at hand. Malcom X was more of a fight fire with fire type of protester, and that the only way changes were going to be made was if we fight back. On the other hand Martin Luther King Jr. was all for peaceful protesting and that they can make a difference just by speaking words of encouragement to the people.
“I’m for the truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole” (X). This quote by Malcolm X represented his attitude towards equality and self-empowerment. The true Malcolm X was a passionate human rights activist as well as an extremely outspoken man during the fifties and sixties. X encouraged millions of African Americans to fight for what they believed in and to take pride in their ethnicity. X persuaded a multitude of African Americans that they are supreme and should not be degraded for their skin color. He learned at a very early age if he wanted something in life, he had to make some noise
Malcolm X was particularly firm in his opinions of the nonviolent strategies advocated by Martin Luther King, Jr. During a November 1963 address, Malcolm ridiculed the theory that African Americans could achieve their freedom nonviolently. "The only revolution in which the goa...
The civil rights movement was a popular historical movement that worked to allow African Americans to have equal rights and privileges as U.S. citizens. The movement can be defined as a struggle against racial segregation and discrimination that began in the 1950s. Although the origins of the civil rights movement go back to the 1800s, the movement peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. African American men and women, along with whites, organized and led the movement from local to national levels. Many actions of the civil rights movement were concentrated through legal means such as negotiations, appeals, and nonviolent protests. When we think of leaders or icons of the movement we usually think of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Even though Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are important figures, their participation in the movement was minimal compared to other unknown or forgotten figures. Howell Raines’s, My Soul Is Rested, contains recollections of voices from followers of the civil rights movement. These voices include students, lawyers, news reporters, and civil right activists. Although the followers of the movement were lesser known, the impact they made shaped the society we live in today.
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King arose as key figures in the religion of the their communities speaking as ministers. X was a member of the Sunni Muslim faith and prior to his death broke ties with the Nation of Islam. At the very beginning of his essay he distances the issue of religion in his argument explaining, “I'm not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it's time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you're a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. (X 1)” Religion is removed from the equation before he even begins to make his stance for Black Nationalism. He does not intend to justify his reasoning through the will of God or the church because the problem that plagues the black community affects them regardless of what faith they subscribe to. This reveals much about the audience that Malcolm X is speaking out to. The Black Nationalism and segregation he advocates for is aimed only for his fellow African-Americans. By excluding his Islamic faith from the mix, he avoids alienating other blacks of different religions and does not seek to establish a common ground with the overwhelmingly Christian white opponents of the movement. Malcolm X reaches out to the victims of the system and avoids starting a
In the 1960s, the nation was faced tumultuous times. There was racial tension between the white citizens and black citizens of America. Whites could not understand why the African Americans were so upset; they had their freedom from slavery and job opportunities. However, the African American was dissatisfied with the small crumbs of God given rights that all American citizens were entitled to. Two men propelled to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement as leaders; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Their agenda was to seek equal rights for all Americans. But both men differ on the approaches needed to reach these goals; one believed using nonviolence was the answer while the other advocated violence Many people argue that the
Even though Malcolm X was speaking violence into the minds of many fellow African Americans, he persuaded them to use violence against people but only if it seemed necessary. Many people went against what he believed in because of this. They did not agree it was the right way to handle this situation especially since there was already violence present from the racist.
Malcolm X had many difficult times throughout his life, but he never let that stop him from becoming a human rights activist. Although many didn’t agree with his methods, he still found a way to make people hear about what he believed was true. In Malcolm X’s life change was one of the only things he could rely on because it was always happening. Malcolm X wanted peace among all, and he also just wanted to be free from all the hate that was going on in the world.
Malcolm X was a freedom fighter like Dr. King who fought for the right and freedoms for black Americans. Unlike Malcolm, Dr. King called black Americans blacks while Malcolm called them Negros. Malcolm used violence in his fight for freedom when he said, “Revolution was based upon bloodshed”. Malcolm was ready for anything as far as blacks will gain the respect and freedom they needed. In Malcolm’s black revolution, he made it clear how blacks were treated differently no matter their age, what school they came out of, no matter what their intellectual or professional level was, they were still recognized as a boy and were not given the respect they deserved. He also pointed out how whites made them think they had different goals and objectives.