Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are the two most well-known, influential activists in the civil rights movement. Although they both fought for the same cause, during the same time, they had very different approaches towards the ways in which the civil rights’ movement was to succeed. They also held different principles and views about what an ideal, racially equal world would look like. Martin Luther King opted for the more peaceful, Gandhian approach in order to obtain a non-segregated, united community where white Americans and Africans would live together in peace. On the other hand, Malcolm X preferred the violent ways of obtaining equality for African Americans, …show more content…
For instance, one of Martin Luther King’s most memorable participations was serving as both the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association as well as the leader and official spokesman of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) . This resulted in the Supreme Court ruling segregated seating in public busses as unconstitutional in November 1956 , and therefore finally giving African Americans equal rights when travelling via public busses. Furthermore, the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was another result of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Martin Luther King’s efforts, which was an organisation that was equally committed to the use of non-violence, with their slogan “Not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed.” , of which Martin Luther King was president . Due to his role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he travelled giving speeches and lectures about civil rights, and encouraging nonviolent protest across the country and around the world . The most important aspect of the SCLC’s involvement was that considering the churches in the South that represented the African American population were already powerful, the combination of their strength and influence will multiply the power that they have and the potential changes that they could make. Moreover, Martin Luther King also collaborated with a number of civil rights activists and religious groups to organise the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom held on the 28th August , and attended by around 200,000 to 400,000 participants . It was on the same day that Martin Luther King delivered his infamous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, which was heard throughout the world and majorly publicised the Civil Rights Movement in America across the world . The event was