Compare And Contrast Malcom X And Martin Luther King Jr

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The American Civil Rights movement was a very treacherous and horrific time in American history. African Americans were long censored in this country and they finally took a stand to make American citizens follow what the constitution says, “All men are created equal”. For activists, such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr., this journey to bring their people justice would certainly not be an easy one. Although they both wanted the same thing, both of these activists had very different thoughts and ways to make it happen. In order to reach this desired goal that they have been awaiting, strategies were much needed. Clearly divided, the two strategies acted upon violent and non violent. Martin Luther King, Jr., an advocate for non violence,…show more content…
and his philosophy on non violence, Malcom X on the other hand had a completely different view on how to achieve people their rights by supporting violence. For many young African Americans, the need for greater sovereignty from the white majority was on full swing. They took inspiration from Malcom X who was the minister of the Nation of Islam. He captivated listeners with denunciations of whites and demands for black self respect. (Jacqueline Jones) To his admirers, he was a man who was an audacious advocate for the Civil Rights of African Americans who indicted white American in the harshest of terms (violence) for their crimes against blacks. When he was in the Nation of Islam, he taught black supremacy and actually advocated the separation of blacks and whites which is completely the opposite of what the civil rights movement was about. When he left the association, he became a Sunni Muslim which did not support racism and he was willing to work with civil rights leaders though his philosophy still emphasizing self defense and black…show more content…
Martin Luther King, Jr. led the March of Washington and publically spoke where people would gather around and listen to him advocate his plans, dreams, goals and most importantly what he was going to do for the people. Malcom X traveled to Mecca, Africa, France and the United Kingdom where he met important leaders at the time of his travels. On his trip to Mecca, he said that the trip allowed him to see Muslims of different races interact with each other as equals which led him to believe that Islam could be the reason by which racial problems could be overcome. (Jacqueline Jones) The Poor People’s Campaign in 1968 was organized by King and the SCLC to address issues of the economic justice. A march arose from the campaign in Washington, D.C. declaring economic aid to the poorest communities of the United States. With Martin Luther King, Jr. traveling the country, he assembled an army of different races of the poor that would march in Washington to participate in nonviolent civil disobedience until Congress created a bill of rights for poor citizens in America. Since the campaign was not anonymously supported, other leaders of the movement ended up resigning stating that the goals of the campaign were unrealistic and would repress the situation of the poor. This wasn’t new to Martin Luther King, Jr. since throughout his time in the movement, he
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