Martin Luther King, one of the most well known civil rights leaders in America, believed that some laws during his lifetime were unjust in nature and were acceptable to ignore based on ones conscience. Henry David Thoreau also believed that unjust laws were to be resisted or ignored. While Thoreau was the first American to define and use civil disobedience as a means of protest, King expanded upon it in his letter from Birmingham jail, implementing nonviolence and practical application into the traditional American protest. Henry David Thoreau believed that, “That government is best, which governs least.” Also, while Thoreau had wished for no government, he acknowledged the fact that it was logically impossible and that the government only exists because the people allow it to exist; Thoreau states, “The government does not keep the country free. It does not settle the west.
All black everything is not the way to go, both black and white is what should show. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. are the two most well known Civil Rights leaders in America from the 1960’s, but they both had different views of solving the racial problems in America. Malcolm X’s philosophy was to keep segregation, but have a mutual respect between blacks and whites. He also believed in violence if necessary, and seemed to be a radical “Black Power” activist. Martin Luther King Jr. on the other hand took after the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, and believed in nonviolence and boycotting.
Martin Luther King believed in human and civil rights including “blacks”. Although their views were different, after his pilgrimage to Mecca Malcolm’s view was closely noted to be like Dr. Martin Luther King. It was documented that, at one point Malcolm wanted to work with Dr. Martin Luther King. During Malcolm’s pilgrimage to Mecca, he saw that all races were worshipping together. It was not the whites that were the “devil,” but racism was the evil of mankind (“Black Muslim”).
The main goals for this paper is to compare and contrast the main ideas and views of the great pieces of literature: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King and “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau. Both authors attempt to argue for the rights to disobey authority is there is social injustice. Both of these authors seem to have the same ideas and views, but Thoreau was writing during the mid 1800s during the time of slavery in America and King was writing in the 1960s during the time of severe racial discrimination in America. Because Thoreau came before King, he was a big influence for King and his writing. Although Thoreau was not the first to introduce these ideas, he may have been the first to bring it to the attention of many Americans.
After taking this class and learning about the 1960s I wonder what the world would be like if The Civil rights Movement as well as The Women’s Liberation Movement had not taken place. According to ‘The Age of Great Dreams”, by David Farber, “While many- both in praise and in criticism-have exaggerated the impact of the 1960s on today’s America, those times explosive and they were the source for many of the changes with which we now live. As a result of what Americans did in the 1960s our country has become a very different place.”(Farber, 1994) The Civil Rights Movement called for an end to segregation, racism, discrimination but most importantly voting rights and equality for blacks. “Because of their skin color, they did not have the same rights that white people did for a long time. This injustice on African Americans led to a time of social unrest.
Malcolm X has been considered one of the most influential leaders in African American history. He was one of the most active advocates for black rights and rejected the mainstream ideas of civil rights leader such as Martin Luther King Jr. (Rollyson “Malcolm X”). Through speeches such as Message to Grassroots, Malcolm X uses the “house negro” and the “field negro” as a metaphor for the difference between the movement towards integration advocated by Martin Luther King and the Nation if Islam’s movement towards separation. He calls for unified opposition to stand up and fight against the white man. Malcolm X conveys in this speech the anger and fear that lived in the hearts of most African American at the time.
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?
Throughout history, many social protests have caused an uprising and agitation in an otherwise overlooked flaw or exaggerated prejudice against a certain situation. The main influences include that of Dr. Martin Luther King’s non-violent protests, and their efforts for an equal America, the anti-war movements of the 1960s or even the recent social protests against Prop 8 and gay rights. All three have in common a genuine effort to change a situation that the appointed leaders of our country fail to deem as an extremely poor direction for our country. Without the efforts of such leaders as Martin Luther King or the Anti-war movement including Benjamin Spock, the SANE committee and SPU organization, change would have not come as soon as it would
Why did the visions of Martin Luther King Jr feature in Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign and inauguration speech in 2009? The Role and significance Martin Luther King Jr in America’s History: Martin Luther King Jr was a leader; he gave a voice to the African American citizens who could not express their own needs and opinions. His role was to lead the civil rights movement, and speak for justice, peace and equality in the lives of every American man, woman and child. King struggled with the laws and politics of his time and worked to eradicate segregation and discrimination from the American way of life. Martin Luther King Jr’s writings, teachings and speech’s are timeless; they left people rethinking their attitudes towards African Americans and racism.
4a) The film Milk portrays an important political history in America against the homosexuals in the 1970’s, seeing this film and the struggles that homosexuals had to fight for their human rights and political equality makes myself, who’s not sensitive about the issue, change my political sensibilities. Each character from the film was portrayed with exposure of their hardship of acceptance by the society and