Malcolm X And MLK Jr Comparison

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Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were publicized as two of the most important figures in the African American Civil Rights struggle during their lifespan. However, both men’s upbringing and their experiences affected their ideology of resolving America’s racial struggles. “Martin King and Malcolm X were shaped by what Vincent Harding has called the ‘Great Tradition of Black Protest,’ a tradition that comprised many variations of nationalism and integrationism.” (Cone, p. 16). Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X came from families that instilled strong family values, religious values, and community involvement. However, during their early development, Martin’s family was able to protect him from the worst experiences of white racism while raising him in the southern United States while Malcolm’s family suffered from the negative effects of racism while raising him mostly in the northern part of the country. The difference in their location of development was that Malcolm’s family was affected more by the racial conflict in America than Martin’s family. Due to Malcolm’s experiences it was much harder for him to accept the good values among the general majority of the dominant race of white people in America than the optimistic perception of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in 1929 and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Both his father and grandfather were prominent Baptist preachers and leaders in the African American community. The community and its leaders fought against segregation with protest, accommodation, and self-help. The way in which they protested was for equality in an accommodating way of non-violence. It also provided the ideology of the self-help tradition to the African Americans by promoting the value of high achievement in education, business, and morality. Due to the strong influence of the community, religion, and his family values, Martin was able t...