Malcolm X vs Martin Luther King Jr

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Recommended: The impact of the civil rights movement

In looking at how the actions of two of the Blount curriculum’s selected writers influenced historical change, progress, and thought I chose to focus on their respective views of race and race relations, in particular the Civil Rights Movement. I chose to write on the two diametrically opposed civil rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In the 1960’s the African American community became increasingly active in the struggle for civil rights. Although the concept race is an arbitrary societal construct based on the color of an individual’s skin and his or her geographic origin, it has had a profound impact not only on the founding and formation of our country but also the development modern American society. King and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought the hope of acceptance and equality to African Americans in the United States. Both preached messages 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 those dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of King and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.

The initial phase of the Civil Rights Movement began in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. The incident was the catalyst for a major boycott of the area bus company from the Black community, which was lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King and his supporters continued the boycott for more than a year. As a result of his leadership skills, King gained national prominence and recognition for his ...

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...ble to recognize that: "Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love" (King 51). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X both shared a dream of an end to racism, the paths they chose to see their dreams to fruition are however, polar opposites.

Works Cited

Blount 102 Course Packet. X, Malcolm. “The Ballot or the Bullet.” From Black Muslims to Muslims: The Transition from Separation to Islam. Metuchen: Scarecrow P, 1984. 427 641.

King Jr., Martin Luther. I Have A Dream: Writings and Speeches that

Changed the World. San Francisco: Harper, 1992.

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