MLK vs. Malcolm X  Words that remind you of the two

Malcolm and King Quotes

Martin Luther King Jr.  He was the 26-year-old minister of the Baptist church where the original boycott meeting took place.  Dr. King became the spokesperson for the protest movement and became a leader in the civil rights movement.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail  King wrote that without nonviolent forceful direct actions such as his, true civil rights could never be achieved.  He asserted that not only was civil disobedience justified in the face of unjust laws, but that "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.“  Two famous quotes from the letter are: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," and, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied."

“I Have A Dream”  Dr. King spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites, among others, would coexist harmoniously as equals.

I have a Dream

Assassination  Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39.

Malcolm X

Malcolm X (Malcolm Little)  His father, a Baptist minister and a civil right’s activist, was killed by the Ku Klux Klan—pushed in front of a moving street car.  His mother suffered an emotional breakdown and spent the next 26 years in a mental hospital.  At 19 he was sentenced to prison for 5 years.  In prison he read constantly and converted to Islam.

Teenage Years  At 19 he was sentenced to prison for 5 years.  In prison he read constantly and converted to Islam.

Prison Years  Became an activist for the black population  Criticized MLK, Jr.  He preached that white and black could not be brothers.  “What I want to know is how the white man, with the blood of black people dripping off his fingers, can have the audacity to be asking black people [why] they hate him?”  1963—challenged the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad, and was suspended from the Muslim ministry.

Changing Attitudes  Leaving the nation of Islam and taking a trip to Mecca changed Malcolm’s views.  He became much less violent and extreme in his views.  “I have been convinced that some American whites do want to help cure the rampant racism which is on the path to destroying this country.”

Assassination  Malcolm was shot and killed on February 21st, 1965 while he was making a speech in New York.  Three black men from the N.O.I. were convicted of killing Malcolm

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