Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King Jr And Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X shared the idea that everyone should be treated equal regardless of color. Their passion for civil rights and what they achieved makes them world figures. While they both fought for what they believed, the approach they used was completely different. Martin Luther King came from a long family line of pastors. He grew up in Atlanta with a good family and he was very well educated. According to Nobelprize.org, by 1955 Martin Luther King had received his doctorate degree and was a pastor at a Baptist church. He later married and had 4 children. Malcolm X, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. According to History.com, his father was brutally murdered by the KKK. It was ruled as a suicide and the family was not given any of the death benefits. History.com explains that shortly after the death of his father, Malcolm X was placed in a foster home. He dropped out of school at the age of 8 and began to get in trouble with the law. It was during his time in prison that he met Elijah Muhammad and began reading …show more content…
However, their idea of how to achieve that dream was not quite the same. Dr. King adopted a much more peaceful route. He believed that everyone could live as equals and that blacks and whites could one day live in peace together. He organized peaceful marches and nonviolent demonstrations. His speeches were inspirational and encouraged that blacks and whites work together to bring peace to the world. Malcolm X adopted a more aggressive route. He didn’t believe in peaceful protest. According to History.com, he thought that peaceful protest were just another way that whites kept blacks restrained. Malcolm X wanted a nationalist and separatist arrangement. He encouraged self-defense by any and all means towards the whites. When he returned from Mecca he adopted a less aggressive manner. However, he still encouraged self defense and violence if need