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Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Jr

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Malcolm X vs. Martin Luther King Jr.
Whose Philosophy made more Sense For America In 1960
History 8B Addyson Gallagher
Faith May 24, 2023
Two names come to mind when people think of breaking down racial barriers in America. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had the same goal but had different methods for gaining equal treatment. King was raised in a middle-class, Christian family and was told his whole life, "Do not let them make you feel you are not as good as White people. You are as good as anyone else, and don't you forget it." (Background, Essay) King entered the world with these principles and a mindset that he was just as good as anyone else. Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of peacefulness and love appealed to King. These teachings inspired King to lead …show more content…

King had the idea of boycotting certain businesses that did not hire or serve Blacks. He wanted White owners to know they had power in society. King planned that all the money not being spent on those businesses might open up jobs for many African-American people. (Doc 6) The protestors made more money than ever after these boycotts but still spent that money in White stores, supporting and working for White men. Malcolm X's ideas for economics were more practical and allowed Black communities to grow stronger. Malcolm’s theory was that Blacks needed to stop spending their money in White communities and put it back into the black community. He said, "... we have to learn how to own and operate the businesses of our community…. When you take money out of the community you live… the neighborhood in which you spend it becomes wealthier and wealthier, and the neighborhood out of which you take your money becomes poorer and poorer." (Doc 7) Malcolm is saying, look, Blacks need to support themselves, build themselves up, and show White men they can do everything White men can, maybe even

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466 Words | 2 Pages

That also falls under the chart of systemic oppression, how the society doesn’t want colored people to become something big in their life, clearly stating that they are worthless, and can’t be better than the whites. As years pass by Malcolm X moves to boston, thinking that he will have a lot more opportunities education wise, work, etc. The author shows how Malcolm was changing, starting to get involved in drugs and robberies. He was always hanging out on the ghetto side of the town, his style was starting to change. Malcolm was also trying to deny his blackness, by getting his hair done “conk” style, he was trying to act less black and more to the white side.

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486 Words | 2 Pages

Malcolm was “schooled” on how to hustle, drugs, and how to avoid police. Malcolm was forced into this lifestyle because of, one again, white people and their very own government. Malcolm was unable to get a job, because he was black, leaving him to fight for his survival. White people refused to hire him, because he was black, and the government refused to help because he was black. Malcolm was oppressed into becoming a criminal, he had no choice but to survive and to survive meant to be a criminal.

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993 Words | 4 Pages

Malcolm’s family was terrorized by Ku Klux Klan members during his early childhood, moving multiple times until finally residing in Michigan where Malcolm’s father was presumably killed Malcolm found his way to the city of Boston after his father’s death. Malcolm’s father’s death was of mysterious circumstances and rumours of white racists being responsible deeply affected Malcolm. As a youth he experienced harsh racism when his aspirations to become a career driven black man were met with roadblocks in school and racism from his teachers (Perry, 1991). Realizing that society in America had no real place for a black man of his potential he turned to the underworld to make a name and life for himself, as he was a very ambitious and driven individual from the get go (Perry,1991). Rejected from employers, and met with systemic racism wherever he went Malcolm became a street hustler, pimping, gambling, stealing and dealing his way on the inner-city streets until he eventually put in prison.

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Both speakers wanted blacks to be able to work to make money to provide for themselves without having to rely on white people for money. Martin Luther King, Jr's speech said a lot about relying on whites for money. In the first Reading Passage, Martin Luther King Jr said; "This is nonviolence at its peak of power when it cuts into the profit margin of a business to bring about a more just distribution of jobs and opportunities for Negro wage earners and consumers. " This quote is saying that their peaceful tactics and it was very effective. This is only one of the many quotes that support this.

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957 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. King wanted to end segregation and he also wanted equal rights for everyone, but he was told by the clergyman that the movement was “unwise” and “untimely”. King explained that there will never be a right time for change in this society with bringing equality and justice to us all. Dr. King was told several times to wait, which prolonged his protest and marches. King became frustrated because people were being mistreated and judged everyday based off the color of their skin. Dr. King felt that segregation was wrong, and he refused to sit back and do nothing.

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Malcolm X believed it was vital for Black Americans to learn about economics and finances. Malcolm X said, “So, the economic philosophy of black nationalism puts a burden upon the black men learning how to control his economy” (Document G). He thought it was best to keep the money cycling throughout their community. Unlike King, Malcolm disliked boycotts and protests because he believed it took money away from the community they live in, “in order for us to control the economy of out own community, we have to learn the importance of spending money in the community where we live” (Document G).

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Upon the realization that blacks controlled a trifling amount of their lives, X begins to analyze that whites "control the housing . . . the education . . . the jobs . . . the businesses” (X n. pag.). Resulting from this revelation, X cultivated an augmented, self-reliant black population by encouraging independence.

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The men had contrasting ideas when it came to fighting for racial equality. Martin Luther King’s philosophies made more sense than Malcolm X’s philosophies, because King believed in working together and nonviolence protests to change the minds of the white society. Where Malcolm X believed in working separately to gain independence for the black communities, so

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He thought the only way to survive as a black person was to do what others did so successfully, and illegally. A person’s environment, circumstances and upbringing can seriously impact a person’s life, and through that, a person’s self-confidence. The significant changes in Malcolm X’s life profoundly impacted his outlook of himself, his potential, and, as a result, his life choices. The unbridled racism prevalent in this time period had negatively impacted Malcolm X’s beliefs of himself and of his potential. This led him to just go with the flow of life rather than to forge a way for himself in the world.

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1144 Words | 5 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X? What would you do if your race was segregated and abused by whites? Would you use violence or nonviolence? The 1950 and 60’s was a long period of time of major conflict between African Americans and whites in the United States.

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590 Words | 3 Pages

Malcolm X was the critic America produced. Robin Kelly explains how his past is something that is gruesome, but also common amongst the Black community. Malcolm X dealt with the history that produced him through becoming a critic while following Islam. Racism is the reason his father, and multiple uncles died, it is the reason “he was told he could not be a lawyer” (Stewart, Nov 9); and the barriers created by racism put him in foster care, which led him to become a pimp before being incarcerated. Cohen attributed the 1920’s black economy as establishing the New Negro, and that contributes to Malcolm X’s belief in creating an independent, African American driven, economy.

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( 290) Like Socrates, King pursued what he thought to be just actions. Despite facing opposition and imprisonment, King never wavered in his pursuit of justice and his legacy continues to inspire future generations to work towards a more just and equal

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1305 Words | 6 Pages

He expresses to me how important gaining an education was for him. If Malcolm had not gone to college, he believes that his life would have been filled with crime and neglect, much like his childhood. Both Douglass and Malcolm realized that education was vital to moving on in a positive direction life. Despite being in different time periods, the narrative still connects with the present almost exactly as many minorities seek education as their stepping stone to creating a life of

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Thus, this truly suggested that the lower class, for this situation Black individuals, regardless of working hard constantly yet scarcely making money while the white man lived fine and dandy, was a clear issue of classism. Malcolm X emphasized that Blacks were "trapped" in a monetary system and mentality that did not benefit them. He exposed the fact that some of the Black politicians were corrupt in their ways and puppets of the Whites. They got paid to lure Black individuals into voting using trickery and treachery. Malcolm proposed the concept of economic philosophy, which meant that the Black community needed to start controlling their own economy.

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1019 Words | 5 Pages

Malcolm was someone you would refer to as your perfect stereotype in his early age. He saw education as a waste of his time because of his ethnicity. Malcolm was always told he would not get far in his education, which affected him in ways of having him maintain the “traditional” lifestyle of an african american male. Later on, Malcolm was a member of a gang and he was on the streets. “I had really begun back in the Charlestown Prison, when Bimbi first made me feel envy of his stock of knowledge.

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