Malcolm X Vs Mlk Research Paper

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and Malcolm X were two important Civil Rights activists who viewed segregation differently. MLK wanted violence-free protests while Malcolm X thought protesters should react “by any means necessary.” Their speeches often butted heads and changed listeners views on the topic of segregation. Each leader was impacted by their background life, Civil Rights goals, and view on lynching. Their childhoods influenced their arguments greatly. The men grew up in very different households. MLK came from a privileged life compared to Malcolm X who had a rough childhood. MLK lived in the South and his father was a preacher. He was considered middle class, and he grew up in Christianity. This differs from Malcolm X’s childhood where he grew up around whites and went to an integrated school. When Malcolm was young, his father mysteriously died and his mother was sent to an institution. He was sent to live with a relative and later turned to a life of petty crime. The way these men grew up, influenced the way they viewed the civil rights issues and what they supported. Due to the way MLK grew up, he wanted to have nonviolent protests, unlike Malcolm X who thought it was okay to do whatever was needed to win. Their opinions on how the movement should have gone were very different.

MLK wanted equality for Africa Americans and whites through peaceful protests, while Malcolm X wanted Black superiority to rise. MLK gave his speeches in the highly segregated south and Malcolm X gave him in the north. They both relied on their religion to help them with their ways of protesting. Since MLK was raised Christian, he fought for equality between the two races, in contrast to Malcolm X whose religion was Muslim, making him fight for black power. MLK wanted everyone to be the same while Malcolm X wanted the tables turned. This leads people to infer how they would view the issue of