Dr. Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X Essay

Malcolm X was born in Omaha on May 19, 1925 as Malcolm Little to Reverend Earl Little and Louise Little. Malcolm’s father was a Baptist minister and a committed organizer for Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) . Garvey believed that the black race should remain pure and return to the homeland (Africa) . Malcolm’s father’s involvement led to two of their houses being burned down by Ku Klux Klan members. At age six, Malcolm’s father was killed by Ku Klux Klan members. After, his father’s death his mother was soon pronounced paranoid and the kids were split up . At age twenty, Malcolm began serving six and a half years in prison for larceny. In prison, he read history, philosophy, religion, about the life of Gandhi, and Nat Turner. He also read the works of W.E.B. DuBois, Shakespeare, and Socrates. It was in prison that he found out about Islam through his brother who became a member of the Nation of Islam. Once released Malcolm joined the nation of Islam and became Malcolm X . Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam, took Malcolm under his wing. Soon, Malcolm worked to expand the black Islamic community and even became of the most important temple on the east coast, Temple No. 7 in Harlem . Later on, Malcolm had become very expressive about civil rights during his speeches and they were not often centered around religion. This angered Elijah Muhammad and caused them to drift. Malcolm soon left the Nation of Islam and created his own religious organization called the Muslim Mosque Inc. for his followers. This caused the Nation of Islam to become even more upset with Malcolm. Later more conflicts arose between the two groups. On February 21, 1965 Malcolm was assassinated by three Black Muslims before delivering a speech in Harlem .

King Jr. and Malcolm X both were without a doubt great leaders, who reshaped the American history, but also they each had very differences when it comes to achieving racial justice in United States. Malcolm started to civil rights movement by looking for black communities, and Malcolm X’s view was primarily inspired by Islamic religion from Elijah Muhammad, who was spiritual leader of Nation of Islam. Muhammad taught him that, “...this devil race had turned what been a peaceful heaven on earth into a hell torn by quarreling and fighting”. Which his referring to white people manipulates the black people and diminishes original of humanity. As Malcolm X started to fight for the racial justice in United States, he believed in the separatism rather than form of integration like Dr. King because he believed that integration would destroy the black. Also, Malcolm X took a different approach to civil rights that more aggressive than Dr. King’s non-violent oriented protest. During a public address in 1964, he mentioned that,“by any means necessary”. It shows that Malcolm X’s approach was a very confrontational that willing to take whatever necessary action for the equality and justice for African Americans in the United

Malcolm joined Mr. Muhammad’s group, the nation of Islam, and gave up a life of crime that white society was trying to force him into. When he got out of prison, he bought new glasses, a wrist watch, and briefcase to start his new life (196). He later met with Elijah Muhammad in Chicago where he decided to drop his slave name “Little” and replace it with “X” (203). Elijah made Malcolm the leader of the Temple in Detroit, and Malcolm quit his job to spend all of his time studying to lead the people (205, 215). Malcolm began to teach his followers his belief of anti-integration or black separatism. In addition, Malcolm attempted to raise $20,000,000 for an Islamic Center that would have a museum to teach about the glorious history of black men (261-268). Malcolm emphasized that integration was an impossible goal because white people might accept educated, wealthy black men, but they would never accept the poor, uneducated black man. He even got into a heated argument with a black Ph. D associate professor, in which Malcolm told the professor that white racist still call black people with a Ph. D a “nigger” (277-290). After Malcolm’s comments about president Kennedy's assassination were skewed by the media, Elijah put him on a 90 day silence. Later

Two of the most prominent African American individuals in history are Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X. Although both of them fought and stood for what they believe in, the did so in two very different ways. Both of their beliefs blossomed from the households that they came from and the lives that they lived prior to making themselves known to the community. King was raised in a middle class family and was well educated, whereas Malcolm X grew up in an underprivileged environment and received very little schooling. King was completely against all things violent which made him stand out. Even after being attacked, Dr. King proceeded to maintain and calm and nonviolent persona. However, Malcolm X, in the beginning of his strive for what he

He was also in charge of creating new mosques in other cities that lacked them. Malcolm decided to use different forms of media such as newspapers, radios and televisions to get the Nation of Islam’s message of rights spread across the states to find more followers. Because of this, Malcolm helped the Nation Of Islam increase their number of members from 500 to a whopping 30 000 over a period of 10 years. This made Malcolm a “media magnet” and was known across America. He was featured on a T.V. specials for a week called The Hate That Hate Produced that covered the Nation of Islam thoroughly. With this newfound fame came the government surveillance, who would infiltrate the organization with cameras, stunt men and many more to watch over the group. But at the peak of the Civil Right Movement, Malcolm discovered that his mentor, Elijah Muhammad, had relationships with other women and had secret children although considered a living prophet and tried to silence Malcolm from revealing his secret. This made Malcolm feel like he had brought many people to an organization of frauds. In 1964, Malcolm left the Nation of Islam because he couldn’t move on after Muhammad’s fraud ways. He decided to create his own organization called the Muslim Mosque Inc. A trip Malcolm took to a pilgrimage in Mecca altered Malcolm’s view and instead of speaking of only African-American rights, he spoke for all races. But the tension between Malcolm and the Nation of Islam and the organization labelled Malcolm for assassination. Malcolm’s life was constantly in danger since he was constantly targeted and bombed, along with his family. Unfortunately, the organization was successful as Malcolm X was assassinated by 3 gunmen during a speech in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom on February 21,

King, was the great Malcolm X who advocated more violent means rather than peaceful ones to get fast results. He started his political career after becoming an influential member of the Nation of Islam, being the talented orator he was, he managed to attract many young people to the movement, and easily attracted the media, until he became second in command after Elijah Muhammad. X then started to see through the many faults of the organization and its leaders and decided to quit and form his own movement which was called the Muslim Mosque Inc. and after having preformed hajj (pilgrimage) in Mecca, Malcolm returned a changed man after witnessing all people of different color praying together in unity. His beliefs were changed from “fight fire with fire” to a more peaceful and negotiable solutions towards the end of segregation alike those of Martin L. King. However, before X managed to set in motion any of his peaceful plans towards equality, he was shot to death by four members of the Nation of Islam on February 24th, 1965, three years before King’s

Malcolm Little better known as Malcolm X was born on May 19th, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to J. Early Little and M. Louise Norton. When Malcolm was sent to jail for a theft in 1946, he converted to the Black Muslim faith and decided to change his name from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X. Upon his release 1952 he met with the Nation of Islam leader, Elijah Muhammad, who sent him on speaking tours to promote the nations separatist views, which included the use of violence for self-protection. Malcolm X’s increased popularity set him at odds with Muhammad, who made the decision to suspend him from the movement in 1964. Malcolm responded to this decision by creating the Organization of Afro-American Unity and embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca, after

He saw that in the Muslim world the white man is brotherly. He met with, talked to, and ate with people who in America were considered white. He now wanted to unite people of all races under the power of one God and believed that blacks all over the world should join to combat racism. Malcolm returned from the pilgrimage as El-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz. His pilgrimage broadened his outlook on life. During his visit in the Holy Land he saw all races, all colors in true brotherhood living in unity, living as one, and worshipping as one. He was questioned about this because in the past he had preached out that whites were the devil and now he said that he will never be guilty of that again. His friends are now black, brown, red, yellow, and white, which includes capitalists, socialists, and communists. He now speaks out to his Harlem audience about peace and proclaims that he is not a racist in any form, and he doesn’t believe in any form of discrimination or segregation. On February 21, 1965 three audience members at a lecture at Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom, which Malcolm had rented for his new organization, shoot and killed Malcolm. Police arrested three suspects with Muslim affiliations who were later convicted.

The friendship between the two became sourer in 1963 after Malcolm X even more disturbed on learning that his ally, mentor, and hero had gone against many of his teachings, especially by engaging in extramarital affairs; for Muhammad had sired children out of wedlock. Malcom was even more disturbed by the mare thought that he had considered Muhammad as a god on earth, and had rallied peoples support behind Muhammad. It is this feeling of betrayal and Muhammad's displeasure about Malcolm's cold sentiments regarding the killing of President John F. Kennedy that saw Malcolm X break ranks with Muhammad subsequently exiting the Nation of Islam in 1964. It is around the same time that Malcolm embarked on a journey through better parts of Middle East as well as North Africa. The trip served as a spiritual and political turning point in Malcolm's life. He appreciated the need to address the American Civil Rights Movement better through, socialism, global anti-colonial struggle, and pan-Africanism. Equally, he made the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia by Muslims faithful. It is while in Mecca that he decided to convert fully to traditional Islam changing his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. After the pilgrimage to Mecca, he returned to the United States less agitated but at the same time optimistic about change and a peaceful solution to America's racial problems. Unfortunately, just before taking the ideological transformation and push the Civil Rights Movement activities to a whole new level, Malcolm was assassinated at a tender age of 39 (Rabaka

Malcolm received death threats and open violence towards him. An NOI temple leader ordered the bombing of his car. Elijah Muhammad told a minister that "hypocrites like Malcolm should have their heads cut off" (PBS). His house was set fire once, but nobody was harmed. Malcolm X was assassinated by a gunshot to the chest on February 21, 1965 while speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York. Three members of the NOI were convicted in his murder. His ideas were immortalized in his autobiography, Autobiography of Malcolm X (Altman, 199). Malcolm X left an everlasting impact in the fight for racial equality. Some of his ideas were radical, but he was able to gain support and followers due to his fundamental thoughts being intelligent and beneficial to black Americans. Simple thoughts such as shifting people from referring to African-Americans as “colored” and larger ideas such as movements to end police brutality are Malcolm X’s legacy. The Black Lives Matter movement credits Malcolm X as a person who endlessly fought for civil rights. Countless activists today quote Malcolm X’s profound words as inspiration and continue his lessons today. Malcolm X was definitely not a typical civil rights activist, but that is what made him even more

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was a radical civil rights leader who lead with a militant style and advocated equality by any means necessary. Malcolm X surmised from a rough past of criminal activity and open rebellion. After meeting with the Nation of Islam he adopted the surname X, and began to lead African Americans to inequality by militant means. Malcolm X is most known for his speech in which he chastised the non-violent movement saying it was the same as , “chickens coming home to roost” however, after a spiritual trip to Mecca, Malcolm X began to move more towards a non-violent means of advocacy. Malcolm X was assassinated shortly after his trip to Mecca on February 21, 1965. Another influential leader during Malcolm X’s time was

Later that year, Malcolm Little changed his name to Malcolm X because he believed that the Muslim's X represented the true African family that he could never know. After Malcolm X's parole in 1952, he met Elijah Muhammed in person. In 1954, he was selected to lead the Nation of Islam's Temple Number 7 in Harlem, New York, where he rapidly increased the membership of Nation of Islam. After a television broadcast in New York City about Nation of Islam, many people found out about Malcolm X and started to support him. On December 1, 1963, news reporters asked Malcolm X for an opinion on the assassination of President Kennedy, Malcolm X said that it was a case of chickens coming home to roost. In addition, Malcolm X said that chickens coming home to roost never made him sad, but they've always made him glad. Because of this, Nation of Islam sent a message of condolence to the Kennedy family. A year later, Malcolm left Nation of Islam. Malcolm X promoted the Nation's teachings. In his teachings, he said that black people were the original people of the world. In his speeches, Malcolm X stated that black people were superior to white

Early Little and M. Louise Norton, both Garveyites. Malcolm became a gangster and arrested by police. The prison released Malcolm X on parole. In 1946 Malcolm converted to be Muslim. He changed his name to Malcolm X while he was in jail and discovered the Nation of Islam, which has already converted a number of Malcolm's siblings. Inspired by the faith, Malcolm stops using drugs; he reads a lot, prays, studies Latin and English, and joins the prison debate team. Malcolm X spent six years and after his release from prison in 1952 he met the Nation's leader that was called Alhaj mohammed. Malcolm became Elijah Muhammad's right-hand man. Everything seems to be going great for Malcolm. Malcolm adopted the theory of using the violence for self-protection. Malcolm X's growing popularity put him in many problems with Muhammad, who fired him from the organization in 1964. Malcolm found his own political and cultural philosophy of Afro-American Unity and visited Mecca as pilgrimage after that He changed his thought about white people and Afro-American share the same goals as Afro- Americans. As his following continued to grow, threats against his life increased, Malcolm X was assassinated in New York's Audubon Ballroom in February 1965, before they finished the book on February 21, 1965

During the 1950’s through the 1960’s a battle for civil rights raged on through America. African Americans demanded rights and liberties that other American citizens had. During these changing times, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X become the two leading lights of the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans were dealing with segregation, racism, hatred, and violence toward them. Malcolm X was born on May, 19, 1925 in Lansing Michigan. His father was a well known preacher and black nationalist. X grew up very poor and soon grew up to use drugs and commit crimes. He was arrested in 1942 for armed robbery and was released from prison in 1952. From 1952 to 1963, he was a devout follower of Elijah Muhammad. These teachings taught X anti-white rhetoric but after a eye opening trip to the city of Mecca, X saw that Allah wanted to unite people of all religions. Although X had separated from the anti-white teachings of Elijah Muhammad, he had still been a large influence on the black community during the times he agreed on these views. MLK was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also born as the son of a preacher. The moment that defined MLK’s purpose was when he was told by a white family that he could not play with their son. He looked up to Gandhi as a leader in nonviolence. In 1963 X had broken his ties MLK and Malcolm X were known for their differing views and opinions on African Americans. Both leaders are credited for the improvement of civil rights in

He achieved a high ranking with the Nation of Islam and became a very important part of it. Elijah Muhammad and him created a good bond and he took part in gaining civil rights for African Americans. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X got assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam. Before his assassination, he had received many death threats by African American Muslims, and on February 14, a week before he got shot, his house was set ablaze, presumably by the same group of people that shot him. Malcolm X is one of the many great leaders that participated in the long and difficult struggle for civil rights. Even today, many of those people are remembered, and thanked, whether they are still alive or not. The struggle that all of these people overcame was very difficult, and everyone might not be equal without those