Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Martin Luther King

1026 Words5 Pages

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were civil rights leaders trying to give equal rights to African Americans during the 1960s. Both men had ideas involving changing schools, affecting the economy, and retaliating when being discriminated against. Malcolm X's philosophy included segregated schools, black nationalism, and taking a violent approach to end the discrimination of African Americans. Martin Luther King's philosophy consisted of integrating schools, boycotting the economy, and taking a nonviolent approach to the segregation African Americans faced. Both had separate ideas but went about them in very different ways. Martin Luther King's philosophy makes the most sense and was most accepted by people in the 1960s as it enabled both African …show more content…

believed in boycotting businesses as a way to be taken seriously instead of using violence. The text states many of King's nonviolent protests revolved around economic tactics. He took to heart the saying, “‘If you want to hurt a man, hit him in his wallet.’ The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the sit-ins, and the S.C.L.C. campaigns in various southern cities were all designed to inflict financial pain on the white business community. Businesses would then put pressure on the local political authorities to revise their segregated laws.” Boycotting businesses brought change to the civil rights movement. Many businesses lost money because people would not purchase products from businesses that would not hire African Americans. To combat their loss of revenue, businesses had to make changes and hire African Americans. This brought about the lessening of segregation because African Americans and whites started working together more. Malcolm X's vision of economic policies was based on community. He wanted African Americans to support one another and believed in black nationalism. Malcolm thought, “...people must take control of their destiny, empower themselves and not rely on outside forces for help. He was very concerned if black Americans simply demanded more jobs and higher pay at white-owned businesses, then the structure of the economy would not change enough.” This way of thinking did not help gain any trust or foundation but created more of a divide. Also, Malcolm X´s policy technically would take many years to implement, using just African American products and money to fund their