Sanah Ahmed
US History
Which philosophy made the most sense for America in the 1960’s- Dr King or Malcolm X?
Many people of color have been discriminated against and have struggled for equality. They have been harmed as a result of superioristic views of some white people. Nevertheless, the 1960’s was an important era because it sparked advances for civil rights. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were two influential people that tried to get rights for equality but in very different ways. Where Martin Luther King spread change through nonviolence, Malcolm X believed in gaining equality through the idea of separatism and by any means necessary. Dr. King’s philosophy made the most sense for America during the 1960’s because it enacted change …show more content…
African Americans hope to one day not be judged by the color of their skin but by their intelligence and character. Many do not believe that this will ever happen. However, Martin Luther King, in the 1960s, inspired his fellow African Americans to protest. In “I Have a Dream,” a speech written by Martin Luther King, he exclaims that, “we will be able to work together, to go to jail together, to climb up for freedom together, knowing that we will one day be free.” (Document B) He is referring to white and colored people, how they must protest together in order to be free. Malcolm X has a different idea in which he believes that White and African American people must work separately toward freedom. In the autobiography of Malcolm X, he states that “Working separately, the sincere white people and sincere black people actually will be working together.” (Document C) This idea of separatism is wrong to spread because working separately will cause more of a divide between the two communities. Through MLK’s idea of togetherness, the community can work out their differences and be