King X Essay

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Creative Minds Critical Thinking Famous Thinkers Paper Subjects: Martin Luther King Malcom XS

It is not easy to readily deconstruct the ideas and courses of action that Malcolm X advocated, for the simple fact that those ideas and courses of action changed so much during his relatively short lifetime. It is far easier to do so for Martin Luther King Jr., who was fairly consistent in his ideology and actions. However, when attempting to compare these aspects of these two salient African-American leaders in the middle of the 20th century, there are both points of similarity and of dissimilarity. For the most part, these men supported drastically different ways of accomplishing what was relatively the same objective. That objective, of course, serves as the primary similarity between these men -- each of them was actually working to solve the same problems that African-Americans faced during the Civil rights movement. If these similarities and differences were to be simplified in a cohesive thesis, it is that X (for the majority of his tenure as a leader) sought to solve the racial problems African-Americans faced via separation, whereas King Jr. believed the solution to this same problem was integration.

The problems or issues that both of these men faced were the disenfranchisement and lack of ability to pursue self-determination that African-Americans encountered during the majority of the 20th century. One might argue that the most devastating time for African-Americans in this country -- post slavery -- occurred after Reconstruction and prior to the Civil Rights movement when the civil and human rights of these people were forgotten and killings, beatings, and socio-economic injustice were regularly experienced by them. Both King Jr. And X sought to end this injustice, and to assert the same degree of autonomy, prosperity and equality for these people that others, particularly Caucasians, enjoyed in the United States. Racial injustice was the principle problem each of these leaders faced.

As previously mentioned, the main solutions that King Jr. And X are known for integration and separation, respectively.

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In the final year of his life X became more inclusive of racial tolerance and was willing to possibly pursue his objectives within an integrated society, but the vast quantity of his socio-political rhetoric is based on a separation of the races. It is pivotal to understand that X advocated separation, not integration (Haley, 1964, p. 244). There is an inherent inequality in segregation whereas separation merely alludes to parity and a complete distinction between the interaction of African-Americans and other races. X sought to implement this solution predominantly through his work with the Nation of Islam (before they helped murder him) and by cultivating a moral rectitude among African-Americans in which they purged themselves from the influence of their former slave masters. King Jr. was an integrationist, and believed he could convince Caucasians to merely treat African-Americans equitably. He implemented his ideas through non-violence, Christian principles, and by working with the existing power system. X largely worked against it.

Ultimately, King Jr.'s contribution to society was based on his solution of integration. All of the rampant integration that takes place today -- which, interestingly enough, resulted in African-Americans forfeiting many of their own industries, businesses, and sense of community and kinship with one another -- is King Jr.'s legacy and formal contribution to society. In the wake of the aforementioned disadvantages, which were merely augmented by the fact that African-Americans can now legally marry Caucasians and intermingle with them and their capitalist system, it appears that Caucasians benefited the most from King Jr.'s contributions which is why he is widely heralded today and X is not. Although it is difficult to pinpoint X's contribution to society due to the many different phases and changes his life and political leadership held, it is less ambiguous as to what his legacy is. The reason that X initially became famous, and the most eminent thing which people still know and revere him for today is the fact that….....

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