Martin Luther King’s philosophy was perfect at the time because it was pushing America forward more into desegregation. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had opposite views when it came down to how they wanted to fight the Civil Rights Movement. King took the nonviolent path while Malcolm X led his way down the violent path. King believed that Blacks shouldn’t cooperate with evil and marching and boycotting was their nonviolent arsenal (Document F). He believed that violence increased hate and that it was a spiral that leads to nowhere, it solves no problems (Document J).
How important was the contribution of Martin Luther King to the civil rights movement of the years 1955-68? The Civil Rights Movement was a movement to give African-American citizens equality, socially, politically and economically. Martin Luther King undoubtedly played a huge role during the 1950’s and 60s for the civil rights movement because he led many of the peaceful protests, boycotts and made inspirational speeches such as ‘I Had a Dream’ which brought millions of people together. His main philosophy for improving the status of black people was non violent protests. He is frequently referred to as a human rights icon today.
The Philosophies of 2 Great Men ENGL2304 (UG12) 1 - Intro African and African American Literature 8:00am – 8:50am By: Darnell Varnado Booker T. Washington and Du Bois, both activists of the civil rights movement, presented suitable approaches to attaining resolutions to the discrimination that African Americans went through in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s. Even though they were both fighting for the empowerment of blacks, they had entirely different methods to obtain that goal. Washington had a steadier tactic as opposed to Du Bois. Du Bois development involved abrupt and complete equality both politically and economically. I believe during this era, Washington overall proposes a productive and more fitting proposition.
Prior to the 1960’s, racial segregation was the norm, with the “separate but equal” statement hanging loosely over America. However, during the 1960’s, a student-driven young civil rights movement flourished. This movement was facilitated by the strength of the NAACP, SNCC, and the SCLC; key civil rights groups that helped break the grasp of segregation. Key leaders such as Dr. King, whose goal was to simply integrate all races through peace and nonviolence helped further this goal. On the other hand, there were also black groups that favored separatism over integration, such as the Black Panthers and the Black Muslims and even the SNCC and CORE eventually began to promote ‘Black Power’, an ideal of black individualism.
The African-Americans fought long and hard to achieve their civil rights, educational rights, and social equality; and not only did it benefit them, it benefitted for the good of all. The achievements of historic courageous African-Americans opened up opportunities to the future African-American community, and ultimately, to other ethnic minorities. Without their struggle and persistent endeavor, African-Americans and ethnic minorities may still be living in a day and age of oppression and inequality. Their achievements not only deemed beneficial to the people of American, but also economically and socially, blooming America into a technological era, but I digress. As a result of the Civil Rights Movement, we now live in a day of age of more liberal thinking and flexible perspectives, but still lack certain freedom.
They were strong in the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. For King, having this role started more controversy. The march was initially planned to dramatize the conditioning of blacks in the South and to express the concerns in the nation’s capital. As a result, some civil right activists felt it presented an inaccurate pageant of racial harmony. Despite all the tension, the march was a major success.
MLK’s letter from the Birmingham jail encouraged non-violent protest as opposed to violent. MLK considered this point important enough to make it a large part of his discourse. The reason for this being included in the letter was due to the fact that much of the people in opposition to the movement were worried about violence. MLK himself pointed out that “The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation, the largest and best known being Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement.” MLK’s letter called for “direct action” which he explained was sit ins, marches and so on.
My opinion of Malcolm X is positive. I believe he did good things for the black community in the 1960s. I feel if Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. came together and could have found middle ground to help unify the black community, it would have been most powerful. It probably would have brought together every black citizen in the United States, regardless of background and beliefs. My personal reaction of some things I saw in the film disgusted me.
Malcolm X advocated frequently for blacks who were unjustly treated by legal and social authority. He showed people that black people could be articulate, and highly intellectual. He advocated for black men to rise up and give the same reaction they received from the white power structure and not accept the status quo of racism and discrimination. It is because of Malcolm's views of social justice and revolutionary actions, that gave rise to the most influential and revolutionary groups in America today. People just could not believe how someone could take the life of someone of such great
The Civil Rights in the Sixties Paper HIS/145 The civil right movement was one of the most important events in the modern history of the United States. It helped force the dismantling of legalized segregation and disenfranchisement of African American, and served as a model for other groups mobilizing to demand dignity and rights. However, like all-important events in history, it has produced scholarship that examines the movement in a number of different ways (Brinkley, 2007). In its historic judgment, the Supreme Court gave the civil rights movement it Ten Commandments. The Supreme Court, armed with the Brown precedent, was beginning to roll back “separate but equal” statutes in all areas of life according to article in the (New York Time, 2011).