Both speakers agree that white people intentionally degrade black people in order to justify their actions. The style of speaking used by Douglass and Malcolm reflects the time period, setting, and target audience. Douglass used a formal tone with advanced word choices because his audience was college graduates at commencement. Malcolm used an assertive, informal tone with simple word choice to target his audience of the average African American at an informal gathering. Both Douglass and Malcolm share the same view that history is very important in making argument against racism.
