Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and the Civil Right Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s - Essay Example

Malcolm X and Martin Luther king junior were African Americans who were prominent in the middle of 21st century due to their fight for liberation in the then racial America. These individuals led revolutions that changed the country by encouraging people of all walks of life to stand up and defend what they believe is just. These two individuals grew in different social and economic grounds; martin Luther grew in a middle class family therefore received modest education while Malcolm X came from a very poor background therefore had little education.

This paper will discuss some of the similarities and differences of the two individuals.Martin Luther king junior was brought up in a Christian background while Malcolm X was a Muslim this shaped how they addressed challenges that they faced in their struggles. For example, while martin Luther always advocated for non violent solutions to the struggles that faced them to an extent that even when he was physically abused he opted not to revenge, Malcolm X believed in Muslim teachings and his famous phrase ‘by all means possible’ which advocated for physical violence towards the oppressors.

Malcolm X believed that violence was the only way that the movement would win it cause and therefore advocated for physical battles whether the opponents were violent or not violent. A good example of this difference between the two individuals can be seen during the famous March on Washington on august 26 1983, where more than 20, 000 people attended; in the march he called for people from all races to unite and end violence and hatred. Malcolm X was very critical of this march and he argued that martin Luther was wrong on calling for uniting of all races since that would destroy both the blacks and the whites; instead, Malcolm argued that blacks should be more concerned with helping each other instead (Howard-Pitney, Davis and May, 90).

Both mean although using different approaches and coming from different social and economic classes had some similarities; some of them are explained in this paragraph. One of the similarities between the two individuals is that it is they both fought for the rights of the oppressed people in the world, for instance, they were both against the involvement of United States in the war in Vietnam in a bid to help French forces capture the country for colonization. Another similarity is that both individuals were assassinated at the same age, although Malcolm X was older than Martin Luther was, he was assassinated by the members of nation of Islam when he was giving a speech; he was 39 years old.

Martin Luther king junior was also assassinated at 39 years while in Memphis where he had gone to support striking African American sanitation workers who were protesting against poor working conditions and mistreatment.Martin Luther king junior and Malcolm X who lived in the same period in America when racism was at its height had different characters although they were championing for the same cause, while Luther advocated for non violence means, Malcolm X was for physical violence; both individuals were assassinated at 39 years while helping the blacks fight for their rights.

Works citedHoward-Pitney, David, Davis, Natalie Zemon and May, Ernest. Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and the Civil Right Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.