Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are very well known African American men that fought for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. They shaped the history for African Americans in the United States. Both had very strong ideologies and had fought for what they believed in, even though their beliefs may have differed. The first thing to note is that both men had come from very different backgrounds, which may have shaped their perspectives. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in a middle class family in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the middle child to Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He grew up in a family where education was very important. Martin Luther had faced racism as a young child, however, Michael King Sr. would discourage any …show more content…
is the religion that they believed in. Malcolm X’s religion was Islam, while Martin Luther King Jr. was a Christian. Their religions may have also shaped the way they viewed other races. Malcolm X believed in Black Nationalism, which made him very aggressive in his attitude. He was not afraid to use violence if he wasn’t given freedom or by “any means necessary.” His main slogan was “ballots or bullets” meaning that if people weren’t going to agree with him by ballots he wasn’t afraid to use bullets. Malcolm X got his main teachings from Elijah Muhammad, who was the head of the Nation of Islam or Black Muslims. From him, Malcolm X was taught that whites were to blame for the black mans social problems and that blacks should separate from white society. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. believed that in order for African Americans to gain rights, they should do it in a peaceful manner without violence. Martin Luther King Jr. also was taught to treat everyone equally, no matter their race. Martin Luther King Jr. also followed in his fathers footsteps and became a minister. Both mens religions and beliefs may have been different, they both made history in some of the speeches they had