Essay - Comparison Essay: Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X Martin...

Comparison Essay: Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X

***** Luther King *****. and ***** X are two of the most famous Black American Civil Right leaders who influenced ***** African-American's struggle for emancipation during their lifetimes ***** left even greater legacies after ***** premature deaths. The goals of both leaders were largely similar, i.e., emancipation of the black community but *****y had widely contrasting strategies for achieving them. This essay is a compar*****on of the messages of the ***** black leaders and their personalities.

***** Luther ***** Jr. was a man of peace, and a p*****ssionate believer in Gandhian non-violence. He believed that under ***** skins the black and white people ***** the same ***** *****d most of his life to remove ***** barriers of segregation created by men ***** bigotry. (Norrell, 2002). Malcolm 'X' on the o*****r hand ***** the quintessential radical, the Black Nationalist ***** did not believe that the white ***** would ever be persuaded ***** voluntarily allow an equal status to the black man. He did not desire de-segregation and taught his ***** a lesson of fierce pride in their own race, ***** develop their own selves instead of looking towards the white society for re-conciliation. He was, however, a man who went through many different phases in his life and towards the last years ***** his life toned down ***** message of violent confrontation with the white men and denounced ***** racist teachings of his ********** associates—the ***** Muslims. (Finkelman, 2002)

During the decade *****tween the mid-fifties to ***** mid-sixties Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm ***** delivered widely contrasting messages on the theme of ***** *****. While King was ceaselessly endeavoring as the leader of ***** Civil Rights Move*****t to integrate the blacks into the mainstream of American life by removing the barriers of desegregation, Malcolm ***** doing exactly the opposite. ***** (Malcolm) believed that the Judeo-Christian religious traditions, on which Western culture is based, were inherently racist. He held the Christian church responsible for slavery of the Afro-Americans due to its role in abetting and ********** the inhumane institution. ***** also disagreed with "turning the right cheek" philosophy ***** Christianity and found in Islam a religion more in keep*****g with his aggressively proud nature.

When Martin ***** King delivered his moving "I Have a Dre*****m" speech in the ***** March 1963 ***** Rights march in Washington D.C. ***** 'X' was ***** impressed and quipped "While ***** ***** having a dream, ***** rest of us Negroes are ***** a nightm*****re." ("Malcolm Quotations")

***** also declared that nonviolence was the "***** of ***** fool." (Ibid.) ***** was because ***** was looking ***** a deeper respect for the black folks as human beings rather than just winning 'civil *****s' in the eyes of law.

The biggest achievement of King ***** ***** political momentum that he *****lped to build which culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting segregation in public accommodations, as well ***** discrimination in education and employment. On the other ***** Malcolm