Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Jr

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Malcolm X vs. Martin Luther King Jr.
Whose Philosophy made more Sense For America In 1960
History 8B Addyson Gallagher
Faith May 24, 2023
Two names come to mind when people think of breaking down racial barriers in America. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had the same goal but had different methods for gaining equal treatment. King was raised in a middle-class, Christian family and was told his whole life, "Do not let them make you feel you are not as good as White people. You are as good as anyone else, and don't you forget it." (Background, Essay) King entered the world with these principles and a mindset that he was just as good as anyone else. Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of peacefulness and love appealed to King. These teachings inspired King to lead …show more content…

King had the idea of boycotting certain businesses that did not hire or serve Blacks. He wanted White owners to know they had power in society. King planned that all the money not being spent on those businesses might open up jobs for many African-American people. (Doc 6) The protestors made more money than ever after these boycotts but still spent that money in White stores, supporting and working for White men. Malcolm X's ideas for economics were more practical and allowed Black communities to grow stronger. Malcolm’s theory was that Blacks needed to stop spending their money in White communities and put it back into the black community. He said, "... we have to learn how to own and operate the businesses of our community…. When you take money out of the community you live… the neighborhood in which you spend it becomes wealthier and wealthier, and the neighborhood out of which you take your money becomes poorer and poorer." (Doc 7) Malcolm is saying, look, Blacks need to support themselves, build themselves up, and show White men they can do everything White men can, maybe even

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