Philosophical Differences Of Martin Luther King Vs. Malcolm X

655 Words3 Pages

Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X Philosophical Differences In the 1900s, as racism had become more and more apparent, leaders started to rise up in attempt to change society’s opinion which led to and increasing amount of people becoming involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Many had conflicting ideas about how to eliminate racism, and as people became bolder with their beliefs, different strategies started to emerge. Two ideas among many were the main tactics used to convince people that segregation should be stopped. These two ideas were sprung from the minds of two different men, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. When equal rights were not established, protests and marches were the major uses of displaying indignation towards racism. This eventually lead to the development of the Civil Rights Movement which began in the 1950s and was an act towards discrimination. Martin Luther King’s ideals were the most reasonable for America in the 1960s because of his method of nonviolence and his belief that people should not be …show more content…

King believed that everyone should work together, while Malcolm X still thought that Blacks and Whites should be segregated. Quoted in George Breitman, “The Last Years of Malcolm X: Evolution of a Revolutionary”, Malcolm X says “…(W)e have to learn how to how to own and operate the businesses of our community and develop them into some type of industry…” By this, he implied that African American communities should be separated from White communities. However, this leads to further separation rather than eliminating discrimination. King’s belief was that all men are equal and should not be judged based on the color of their skin; therefore, the separation of Black and White communities should not exist. King’s strategy was preferred in eradicating racism because with everyone being in the same community, everyone will be able to work together without prejudice