Martin Luther King Jr Vs Malcolm X Dbq

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The Civil Rights Movement inspired racial harmony between blacks and whites in America. The Movement was led by many leaders and activists. Some of the biggest leaders/activists were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. They both had different philosophies on how to earn freedom and civil rights. The big question is whose philosophy was better in the 1960s. Martin Luther King believed that blacks and whites should join together as one country, but the only way to achieve that was through nonviolence. Malcolm X believed that blacks and whites should work separately, but have the same rights as one another. He also thought that blacks must achieve that through any means necessary. I believe that Martin Luther King had the better philosophy. He understood that violence wouldn’t fix everything, he was extremely determined, and he wanted the black and white communities to join together as one nation. I believe that MLK had the better philosophy because he understood that while violence may stop the racists for the time being, it will never end racism for good. He believes that violence may kill the person who is committing the crimes, but it won’t stop the crimes from being committed by someone else. In document J, MLK says, “Violence may murder the murderer, but it doesn’t murder the murder.” In document F, MLK says,”Basic …show more content…

He refused to stop fighting for his cause because of the destruction of their buildings and physical attacks. In document D, it states, “We are on the move now. The burning of our churches will not deter us. We are on the move now. The bombing of our homes will not dissuade us.” In document H, it states, “We will meet your physical force with soul force.” My interpretation of the first quote is that MLK would not be stopped by bombs or fires. In the second quote, it means that MLK would fight the violence with speeches and boycotts. Martin Luther King was determined to fight for his beliefs and never give

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