Martin Luther King vs Malcolm X
The 1950's and 1960's were eras of major discord between black and white races in the United States. The ever present and unsettling realm of discrimination and disorder began in the Southern states. Civil rights issues became the norm during this period. Two of the more prominent leaders of the civil rights struggle were Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Although these leaders had the same end results in mind, their means, philosophies, and principles differed. Their main differences fixated on their willingness to employ or not to employ violence to achieve their end goals. There were stark contrasting differences in the methods used by the two civil rights leaders. The early background of Malcolm X was a large factor responsible for the distinct different responses to racism. His house was burned by the Klu Klux Klan, which resulted in the murder of his father. From then on, he was driven by hatred and a desire for revenge. Malcolm X was critical of the methodical, slow approach that Martin Luther King was taking to end segregation. Malcolm X used a more confrontational "power approach" of direct action rather than a nonviolent approach. Malcolm X said, "Fight whoever get
Martin Luther King Jr. had a more positive attitude than Malcolm X. He believed through peaceful demonstrations and arguments; blacks would someday achieve full equality with whites. Martin Luther King is known for his key role as President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization that directed the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. Montgomery's black community was forced to sit in the back of the city busses and give up their seats to white passengers. Rosa Parks a fellow activist, refused to give up her seat, in doing so she sparked a movement that became known as the Montgomery boycott movement. For Dr. King, getting those rights could be brought about by the persistence of a nonviolent campaign. King writes, "I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends." King's compliance and effectiveness with the disobedient approach seems far more logical in achieving the desired goal than Malcolm X's course of action. Dr. Martin Luther King's actions had a deeper impact on the hearts and minds of millions of Americans thro
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Approximate Word count = 807
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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