The mid 20th century was a trying time for black Americans. Facing social, political, and economical injustices, over 20 million black Americans were living in the free land of America while being denied equality and opportunity. Malcolm X called this condition of living 20th century slavery, implying that the black man was still not free some 100 years after the Civil War. While there were many black leaders at this time, two of the most recognized figures in the Civil Rights struggle were Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. These two powerful orators had the power to motivate their audiences with a strong felt passion for the cause of freedom. During the early 1960's, after years of small, gradual progress, there was an act now attitude in messages of both men. However, each had his own idea of action. Ultimately King and X wanted a similar result of their fight. Freedom. Although there are similarities in their methods and philosophies concerning the freedom movement, both men differ drastically in their approaches. In this paper I will compare the two black leaders and how they differ method of action and religious beliefs and how they relate to the overall message of the men. All of which will be based on the readings from the course text.
             The first difference I noticed in the speeches of the two men is their idea of action. Where King would organize a march or a sit-in, X would urge his followers to use any means necessary, often with the use of violence, to make their message clear. That message, for both men was one of non-acceptance of the blatant injustices that were being imposed upon black Americans. One of King's solutions to this problem was economic control by withdrawing black money from merchants and industries that were not treating blacks fairly. King said, "We don't need to argue and to curse. We don't need ant Molotov cocktails", instead King urge black Americans t...