Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King Jr And Malcolm X

Throughout history, the United States has witnessed that no two great men are alike. When differentiating Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, two of the most significant leaders during the civil rights movement, we can see this statement is found true. Each of these men endured in an immensely different childhood, which may have influenced their distinct set of beliefs. King was raised in a middle class family and received more opportunities than many African American’s did at the time. However, Malcolm experienced a life of terror and destruction, which influenced his strong opinion about violence. Although their similar ideas led them to work for their corresponding goals, their separate identities led them toward two different approaches …show more content…
He followed Christianity and Gandhi while Malcolm followed the techniques of Islam and advocated for physical fighting. Martin’s approach to equality was non-violent protesting, and the use of what he called “weapons of love”. He wanted whites and blacks to integrate and work together in society. Inspired by Gandhi, King organized sit-ins, protests, and marches in an peaceful, legal way. In contrast, Malcolm X’s undertake was particularly dissimilar. Malcolm wanted blacks to remain separate from the whites yet have equal rights. Malcolm’s most famous line was, “by any means necessary” which means whatever had to be done to achieve freedom, had to be done. In general, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both victors of the African American cause and fought for equal rights among whites and blacks. They also both had the largest influence on the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s. Outside of that, there are not many qualities that the two men shared. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X both aspired for equality among the blacks and whites. However, each famous civil rights leader utilized a different approach. King sided with an non-violence approach with the use of love, while Malcolm sided with the use of violence if necessary to achieve

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Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King Jr And Malcolm X