Malcolm X Dbq

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The Civil Rights movement led to the emergence of two historical African-American figures during the 1960s, being Martin Luther King Jr. and his rival, Malcolm X. While both men shared a common goal of achieving civil rights for their people, their approaches to reaching this goal were vastly different. Malcolm X advocated for a more confrontational and violent approach, while Martin Luther King Jr. believed in peace and nonviolence. Differing factors such as speed, duration, and tactics separated the two methods from one another. Both were effective in their own ways, though it’s clear that Malcolm X had the stronger approach to the matter.

To start things off, it’s clear that Malcolm X’s approach would provide quicker results. The formation …show more content…

For instance, say firemen were to use their hoses to halt protests led by Martin Luther King, and those protestors fought back using blunt and/or sharp instruments, like a hammer or a blade. Murder, let alone attempted murder, is only justifiable if the perpetrator was trying to attack the victim with harmful intentions. If one exploits another’s fear as a method of ending a civil protest, no lethal weapons shall be drawn by either party. Malcolm X stated that he does not favor violence of any sort, though self-defense is justifiable and reasonable. Malcolm’s self-defense approach spread conflict between news companies, like a wildfire. He found it ironic and hypocritical that he was not allowed to affirm to his people that self-defense was necessary, even if they were the ones receiving the violence. Thinking forward, it’s clear that racist and discriminatory acts from crazed white people will still be equally as common as it was then. In Malcolm’s eyes, it only makes sense to allow his people to fight for their rights, rather than having them sit there and take it. One of the protests in Birmingham, entitled the “Children’s March”, consisted of large groups of children marching down the streets of a small Alabama town, singing songs of freedom. Kids were getting placed in prison …show more content…

Malcolm X gave black America a face during the situation, as he saw his people as an independent and self-sustaining community when separated from any sort of discrimination. He embraced his black culture and history, encouraging young black people to take pride in their heritage and to reject the white standards of beauty and success that had been imposed upon them. This was something that Martin Luther King never had a thought on doing. This focus on cultural and historical identity was a significant departure from the assimilationist policies of the mainstream civil rights movement. As stated in paragraph #2, Martin Luther King’s protests were being put to an end in white communities because those who did not approve of black rights utilized fear tactics to scare the protestors away from their posts. The day that African-Americans started to take pride in their race and their history was the day that discrimination no longer had control on the white communities. The promotion of unity and togetherness emphasized the shared experience of black Americans. By focusing on their shared cultural heritage and experiences of oppression, Black Pride assisted in forging an inclusive sense of solidarity. White superiority was deteriorating by the day as the black population grew stronger; the shift

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