King/ X ESSAY

3 Pages 777 Words

In the early sixties two black American leader stood out from all the rest; Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X. Both were great leaders and heroes of the civil rights movement. Even though they were different in addressing their messages about black respect and pride, they both had the same goal in mind. That goal was to achieve equality between all races. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X had both similarities and differences in their philosophies, attitudes and actions, but Martin Luther King was better for the Civil Rights movement.
To start off, both men ultimately became the ultimate icons of contemporary African-American culture and had a great influence on black Americans. However, King had a more positive attitude than Malcolm X, believing that through peaceful demonstrations and arguments, blacks will be able to someday achieve full equality with whites. As quoted from King’s letter, “You are quite right in calling, for negotiation, indeed, this is the very purpose to direct action.” Malcolm X's despair about life was reflected in his angry, pessimistic belief that equality is impossible because whites have no moral conscience. Through out X’s letter he speaks in a very negative, angry tone of voice. “We’re anti- exploitation, we’re anti-degradation, we’re anti-oppression.” That contrasts with King’s philosophy; Martin felt that blacks and whites should be united and live together in peace. Malcolm X, however, promoted nationalist and separatist doctrines. For most of his life, he believed that only through revolution and force could blacks attain their rightful place in society.
In addition, both X and King spread their message through powerful, hard-hitting speeches. Nevertheless, their intentions were delivered in different styles and purposes. King was basically a peaceful leader who urged non-violence to his followers.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He gave speeches...