During the post reconstruction era blacks still were fighting for equal rights as well as their position within the United States as to segregation, equal pay, education, and political rights which were supposedly have been defined during reconstruction. Some say the fight and the struggle even goes on even today after so many have given their lives in the struggle for equality and how in some instances blacks are still be held down due to their color although advances have been made as to education, jobs, and political power. There have been great strides made by blacks dating back to Reconstruction Era, Civil War, and the Civil Rights movement by both men and women throughout history. Even during the conflicts of war African America’s have
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Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Ga and is known as one of the greatest civil rights leaders of the 20th century. He attended Morehouse College and became known as a civil rights leader whom preached that a nonviolence approach was the best approach of succeeding. Dr. King was inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent protest, which he felt tied into his own faith of being a Christian as his upbringing was in the Baptist church (Pettinger, 2008). With the arrest of Rosa Parks in Montgomery Alabama, Martin Luther King organized a boycott of the bus systems by having blacks to strike from riding public transportation. His boycott became a turning point in the civil rights struggle attracting national press for the cause (Pettinger, 2008). This placed him as the new leader for hope for blacks during a time when segregation movements were pivotal for blacks to achieve equality. By his participation in the Montgomery Bus Strike his role of an activist for civil rights leader was formed, and helping him form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help blacks. Martin Luther King was an inspirational speaker; he had the capacity to move and uplift his audience. In particular he could offer a vision of hope (Pettinger, …show more content…
King, yet challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the nonviolent pursuit of integration championed by Martin Luther King Jr. He urged followers to defend themselves against white aggression “by any means necessary” (Foner & Garraty, 1991). From an early age he began to hate whites from the killing of his father supposedly by the Klux Klan as well as his teachers trying to demoralize him and deter his dreams. Unlike others he was not raised in a traditional home after his mother had a nervous breakdown and never recovered from. During his childhood he would be arrested for selling drugs and spend six years in prison, while in prison he adopted the Muslim religion and changing his name to Malcolm X. Due primarily to the efforts of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952, to 40,000 members by 1960. By the early 1960’s Malcolm X had emerged as a leading voice of radicalized wing of the Civil Rights Movement (Biography, 2015). Although his efforts for the Nation of Islam were great his relationship with the leader of the Nation “Elijah Muhammad” were at odds due to Muhammad’s not practicing what he was preaching to the Nation. This eventually cause Malcolm to leave the Nation of Islam and form his own
Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Ga and is known as one of the greatest civil rights leaders of the 20th century. He attended Morehouse College and became known as a civil rights leader whom preached that a nonviolence approach was the best approach of succeeding. Dr. King was inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent protest, which he felt tied into his own faith of being a Christian as his upbringing was in the Baptist church (Pettinger, 2008). With the arrest of Rosa Parks in Montgomery Alabama, Martin Luther King organized a boycott of the bus systems by having blacks to strike from riding public transportation. His boycott became a turning point in the civil rights struggle attracting national press for the cause (Pettinger, 2008). This placed him as the new leader for hope for blacks during a time when segregation movements were pivotal for blacks to achieve equality. By his participation in the Montgomery Bus Strike his role of an activist for civil rights leader was formed, and helping him form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help blacks. Martin Luther King was an inspirational speaker; he had the capacity to move and uplift his audience. In particular he could offer a vision of hope (Pettinger, …show more content…
King, yet challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the nonviolent pursuit of integration championed by Martin Luther King Jr. He urged followers to defend themselves against white aggression “by any means necessary” (Foner & Garraty, 1991). From an early age he began to hate whites from the killing of his father supposedly by the Klux Klan as well as his teachers trying to demoralize him and deter his dreams. Unlike others he was not raised in a traditional home after his mother had a nervous breakdown and never recovered from. During his childhood he would be arrested for selling drugs and spend six years in prison, while in prison he adopted the Muslim religion and changing his name to Malcolm X. Due primarily to the efforts of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952, to 40,000 members by 1960. By the early 1960’s Malcolm X had emerged as a leading voice of radicalized wing of the Civil Rights Movement (Biography, 2015). Although his efforts for the Nation of Islam were great his relationship with the leader of the Nation “Elijah Muhammad” were at odds due to Muhammad’s not practicing what he was preaching to the Nation. This eventually cause Malcolm to leave the Nation of Islam and form his own