Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King Jr And Malcolm X

Malcolm X “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom” (Malcolm X). Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist; he was a man who believed that the problem that African Americans faced would not be solved through peaceful and quiet means. He believed that the problem gradually increased through centuries and it came to a point where the existence of African Americans as humans had to be forcefully done. Malcolm X’s methods were mainly campaigns and speeches that aimed at restoring the dignity of the African Americans. Now usually when the term Civil Rights and freedom for African Americans comes up, people normally associate it with Martin Luther King Jr., and forget

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were raised very differently and grew up in two completely different environments. This affected the way they perceived the world and also affected how they went about fighting for the rights of African Americans. “Whereas, Malcolm X was raised in nightmarish conditions. King's home was almost dream-like. He was raised in a comfortable middle-class home where strong values natured his sense of self-worth” (Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X). As you can see MLK was raised in a middle-class family where education was stressed; with both his parents who were well established and ensured that there child was secure and happy. While on the other hand Malcolm X grew up in an underprivileged home and was a self-taught man who received little schooling and rose to greatness based on his own intelligence. The childhood of Malcolm X differed greatly from that of MLK due to the fact that Malcolm X grew up in an atmosphere of mostly anger and fear. In Malcolm X’s early years he faced not only abuse by whites but also by his father and mother. His father abused his mother and then both of them abused their children. Then later on in Malcolm X’s life