Comparing King And Malcolm X's Political Ideologies

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Zack Ketchum Professor Rodgers Essay #2 27 November 2013 “Upbringing as a factor of King and Malcom X’s Political Ideologies” Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are two of the most well-known American civil rights activists of the 1960’s. Though different, their methods of protest were very important, as both men fought for the end of second-class-citizen treatment of African Americans. Often times, their methods are considered opposites - while King frequently endorsed peaceful methods such as harmless protests and speeches, Malcolm X employed violence in order to demonstrate his discontent and desire for change of the status quo. The issue that arises when one looks to compare the two men and their methods, then, is who was better?…show more content…
King’s peaceful methods, and advocated for violence if necessary, it was surely Malcolm X. It was his belief that African Americans should pursue the advancement of their rights and eventual equality by any means necessary. This seeming justification of violence is often scrutinized for what it brings about, which often times is pain and suffering. Similar to King, Malcolm saw the denial of civil rights as morally and ethically intolerable. He often spoke about the violence of racism, and frequently cited examples, which ranged from attacks from police dogs and their club-equipped guards, to being washed down by high-pressured water hoses in broad daylight. Malcolm believed these atrocities, and ones like them, to be linked to racism that had existed far before he and any African Americans of his day were born. Malcolm frequently referenced the exploitation of Africa, and cited that ancestors of African Americans reached the US on slave ships against their will. He did so in order to emphasize that white racism was not restricted to America, but was a global phenomenon that was organized by the most powerful forces of the times, whose desire for power could not be satisfied. By painting the picture that racism was an international issue, Malcolm attempted to convey that racism was not a random atrocity, but in fact, an ongoing international campaign to enslave those without power (nonwhites)…show more content…
However, the lives and upbringings of both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X provide us with some insight as to why each may lean toward the ideologies they eventually stood behind. Those who, like King, grew up with a loving, well-off family would reasonably lean toward nonviolence, and embrace the kind of democracy that seeks to employ equality and peaceful coexistence for all. On the other hand, violence and separatism are likely to appear more attractive to those who have lived Malcolm’s life, a life damaged by violence as well as sustained by its power. Both men, viewed as humanitarian leaders and heroes, sought to eliminate racism, and to discount one approach as less moral than another without the proper analysis of the conditions of their upbringing and life experiences will inevitably lead to an inaccurate and lacking understanding of their

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