Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Paper Summary:

Many people believe that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. were political and ideological opposites. This paper argues, however, that this was not the case. They both sought the broader goal of civil rights for black Americans. However, they differed in the methods which they believed would result in civil rights for black people. The paper argues that their most vehement disagreement was probably over the issue of whether or not civil obedience could be an effective tool for obtaining equality.

From the Paper:

"In fact, where King advocated non-violence in response to segregation and oppression and advocated integration, Malcolm X's political philosophy was that black people should control both the politics and the economy of the black community. In fact, Malcolm X would point out that having de-facto equality was not sufficient to make blacks equal to rights. For example, in the north black people were not prohibited from exercising their rights to vote and organize. However, their political and economic power was still less than would have been expected, given the sheer number of black people."

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