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Compare and contrast frederick douglass and malcolm x
Frederick douglass and civil rights
Racial discrimination in the civil rights movement
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Both the articles, learning to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass and Literacy Behind Bars by Malcolm X, are each narrative explaining their own individual journey learning how to read and write. They both coveted to educate himself because they saw education as an open door to freedom. Although, they both desired the same thing, they did not practice identical techniques to achieve their advancement in their education. Douglass used assistance from his mistress and later on, the little white boys in his neighborhood. On the other hand, Malcolm X educated himself in Prison with a dictionary.
Both Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X went through many hardships throughout their lives. These two historical figures used reading and writing as an outlet to escape their unpleasant lives. Similarly neither of these men went to a traditional school or class to learn these monumental skills. Instead they each were motivated and worked hard to teach themselves how to read and write. Although both men used the same hobby as an outlet, how they learned to read and write differ completely.
During the Civil War, Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln were two of the most powerful men. Former slave Frederick Douglass rose to prominence as an abolitionist and civil rights activist. Lincoln, on the other hand, was the 16th President of the United States, led the country through the Civil War, and was instrumental in the abolition of slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation. Although their relationship was not always harmonious, Douglass and Lincoln collaborated in the fight for abolition and civil rights. The Lincoln in my heart is a man who is not afraid of adversity, who is tolerant and generous, who is hardworking and simple, who is wise and intelligent, and who is benevolent and righteous.
Did you know that Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass knew each other? Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass lived during the same time and had similar views. They both believe in equality. Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were two of the most prominent figures in American history during the 19th century. They were both influential leaders in their own right, with Douglass fighting for the abolition of slavery and equal rights for African Americans, while Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States during the Civil War and signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are American heroes with each exemplifying a unique aspect of the American spirit. In his recent study, "The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics" (2007), Professor James Oakes traces the intersecting careers of both men, pointing out their initial differences and how their goals and visions ultimately converged. Oakes is Graduate School Humanities Professor and Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has written extensively on the history of slavery in the Old South. Oakes reminds the reader of how much Lincoln and Douglass originally shared.
Adewunmi Adebanjo Professor Hooley English 1113-12345 27 August 2014 Societal Difference: How Individuals Provoke Societal Changes Douglass Douglass and Malcolm X (also known as El-hajj Malik El-Shabazz) both achieved literacy through rare and unpredictable methods of learning. Douglass was a young man born into slavery in the 19thcentury, in years when the slave trade was legalized. Before he became enlightened, all he wanted to do was serve his master. One of the ways Douglass learned how to read was by making friends with children below his age so they could teach him secretly even though doing so was against the rules (Douglass 118-120); some of them were tricked into teaching him how to write. In contrast, Malcolm was born in the 20th century.
Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln are inspirations to people of all kinds and colors because they overcame challenges to fight for freedom and liberty for all. These men are figures that anyone of any age could look up to for inspiration. A child being abused by their parents, a teen being bullied at school, or someone who recently suffered a loss or has been through a rough patch in their life. Lincoln was a man of great virtue. He helped hold together the Union during one of the bloodiest wars in American history, the Civil War.
In contrary to peaceful protest and marches led by Martin Luther King there were other leaders who had more radical approaches to protest. Amongst these radical leaders are Malcolm X, Robert Williams, and the Black Panthers. The Black Panthers, a group created by in 1966, by Huey P Newton and Bobby Seale protected black communities patrolling areas with loaded firearms, monitoring police activities involving blacks. Since they were known for carrying loaded firearms FBI Director J Edgar Hoover considered the Black Panthers “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States” (To Determine the Destiny of Our Black Community). The Black Panthers created the Ten-Point Program.
Although a century apart, Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Frederick Douglass’s What to a Slave is the fourth of July are kindred spirits. Notwithstanding the many differences in their respective writing styles, deep down the essence of the message conveyed is still very much the same. Both Martin Luther King Junior and Frederick Douglas had similar beliefs and concepts related to the treatment of the African American community. They both describe a tough yet heart breaking situation that makes them question their moral values and doubt the system and its ability to change for better.
Upon reading these two texts, the main thing that stuck out to me was from “Learning to Read” by Malcolm X. In his story, he calls for the “history of the black man”, as opposed to countless stories about and by a select, white few. It reminded me of a Ted Talk we watched in freshman year English, “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (which I’ll link at the end). In it, she talks about how she only ever knew of white stories by white authors about white characters. The world of literature wasn’t for people who looked like her; it was a world of unreachable otherness.
The ability to read and write is both creative and destructive. This ability opens your eyes to the world and how beautiful it can be. It also has the potential to destroy your entire grip on reality and expose you to the actual world you live in. It imprisons you yet, releases you from your mental confinement. Some people never escape from this confinement, some do; and those who escape sometimes go on to do great things in life.
The most important decision of a leader is the style of leading they decide to use when inspiring others, or providing a vision for the future. By looking at the past, it is proven that some leadership styles are guaranteed to be more effective than others. The leadership style of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights provides significant evidence of how different styles of leading can turn out to be a major success or defeat. Malcolm X’s leadership style included using violence to protest against violence and unequal rights, as well as supporting the segregation of African Americans and the whites. Martin Luther King’s style included nonviolent marches and protests against violence, and peacefully fighting for integrating the blacks and whites.
Focusing specifically on the opposition of racial segregation, The Civil Rights movement symbolized the need for change across America. Between the years of 1950 and 1960, events such as; the March on Washington, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, speeches, protests, and sit-ins, directly defined such opposition. Due to such events, two outstanding leaders of their time, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X emerged into the public eye and began to impact the Civil Rights movement. At a turning point of the century, the two men took charge and became icons across the world while resonating significantly with African American minorities. With such in mind, the two men had extreme differences in their morals, ideals, and religions; however, both deemed
Two Great Men “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. ”- Thomas a. Edison Frederick Douglas and Booker T. Washington were both amazing civil rights activists. Frederick Douglas was a runaway slave who worked to end slavery.
Furthermore, both Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass had to struggle to be able to read. It was their desire for education that kept their dreams alive; however, Frederick Douglass thought that learning how to read was a sin and he should have killed himself (Douglas 27). To Malcolm X learning to read and write was one of his greatest accomplishments because it gave him clarity on the blindness, deafness, and dumbness that was afflicting the black race (X 6). In comparison, both advocated freedom for their people but in contrast Malcolm X wanted complete segregation from whites but Frederick Douglas wanted unity.
