Prewriting Essay

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Comparing and Contrasting Martin Luther King to Malcolm X
Both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are considered to be some of the best speakers in history, in addition to being champions of social justice. Despite this, major differences exist in the approach that was taken by each in their quest for social justice. While Martin Luther King believed in advocacy through peaceful methods, Malcolm X favored a much more radical approach. This paper compares and contrasts the key characteristics of both activists as relates to the civil rights movement.
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King had significantly different educational backgrounds that ultimately ended up shaping their ideas on activism. Martin Luther King was born in a well-off family, and as a result was able to afford a decent education and practice Christianity (Tucker, 2014). This eventually shaped his views on coexistence and the need for peace, that later influenced the methods he adopted when campaigning for social justice. Malcolm X on the other had a difficult childhood that did not allow him to go to school and later saw him get imprisoned for robbery. It is while in prison that he learned to read and write and later became a dedicated Muslim. This contributed to the radical beliefs that he had regarding the civil rights movement.
The two activists adopted significantly different methods in their quest or social justice. Martin Luther King believed in peaceful methods and hoped to convince people to peacefully outlaw segregation.

Malcolm X, on the other hand, believed in a much more radical approach, and repeatedly convinced his followers that African Americans had to defend themselves violently and assertively stand for their rights (Bath, 2015).
Despite having the same goal, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X each believed in a different approach in the fight for social justice. While Martin Luther King hoped to get public support for the civil rights movement, Malcolm X believed Africa American needed to stand for their rights aggressively. It can, therefore, be concluded that both activists used significantly different approaches in the civil rights movement.
Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Bath, P. The religious life of Malcolm X. 2015. http://www.baas.ac.uk/usso/the-religious-life-of-malcolm-x/http://www.baas.ac.uk/usso/the-religious-life-of-malcolm-x/.
Tucker, R. How MLK’s Faith Influenced His Public Life. 2014. https://www.dailysignal.com/2014/01/20/mlks-faith-influenced-public-life/.