How The Methods And Aims Of Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Differed
The methods of Malcolm X and martin Luther King were very different but they shared the same basic aim, to improve the lives of black Americans. Possibly these differences in both aims and methods comes from the differences in the way they were raised, Malcolm X was born Marcus Little in Omah, Nebr. Malcolm X’s father was a follower of Marcus Garvey (Garvey believed that Black Americans should go back to Africa and establish Political and economic ties with Africa) 1n 1931 Malcolm’s father was found dead after being run over, Malcolm blamed white racists, soon after this his mother was committed to a mental hospital. Malcolm spent the rest of his childhood in foster homes and during this time white school teachers discouraged him from continuing education. In 1941 he moved to Boston, he became involved in criminal activities and in 1946 he was sent to prison and during this time he became a Muslim and joined the nation of Islam where he became a predominant figure. Martin Luther King was born in Georgia and had a more settled childhood, King’s father and grandfather were both Baptist preachers involved in the civil rights movement. As a student he became interested in Ghandi’s belief in passive resistance and believed these tactics could be used in the American civil rights movement. King became a Baptist minister and preached tolerance of all ethnic groups and different religious groups. The upbringing of King meant that he had less hatred towards whites and perhaps this explains his beliefs in peaceful protests.
