Martin Luther King Jr.Martin Luther King Jr. was raised in an activist family in Alabama. Were his father was influenced by Marcus Garvey's Africa Movement from 1920. When Martin was just 15 years old he went to Morehouse College. In 1955 he became the minster of Dexter Street Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama.
Martin led the bus boycotts in the south and then formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From this point on he focused heavily on getting rights for African-Ameicans and having equality for African-Americans. He lead a protest in Birmingham Alabama, were King called it "the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States". When Bull Connor (head of Birmingham Police Department) used fire houses, dogs and other violent forces on African-Americans the whole world was watching this protest. From this he marched to Washington DC and delivered his "I have a dream" speech. Where he moved so many people around the country into the peaceful protest. He became known the best spokesmen the United States base seen.During his marches, speeches and protest used Gandhi's work to guide him through the civil rights movement. On April 4th, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot by James Earl Ray. This lead to many riots from the lose of a great leader. |
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Malcolm XWhen Malcolm X was a child in Lansing Michigan, his house was burned down by the Ku Klux Klan. His father was later murdered by the KKK. When he moved to Harlem, he turned to crime and was sent to jail at the age 15. In jail he taught himself how to read and write. From being in jail he converted to Islam. After jail he dropped his last name of Little and changed it to the variable X. To represent his lose of identity from his ancestors being forced into slavery.
From changing his religion to Islam, the Nation of Islam preached for integration. When Elijah Muhammad soon saw the potential in Malcolm and made him the spokesperson for Black Muslims. Malcolm took a different approach to the Civil Rights Movement, where African-Americans can defend themselves if they are being attacked. Here is one of his quotes on violence, "The Constitution of the USA clearly affirms the right of every American citizen to bear arms….The history of unpublished violence against our people clearly indicates that we must be prepared to defend ourselves." Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21st, 1965. |
Gallery of MLK and Malcolm X
"I have a dream"-Martin Luther King Jr. |
"By any means necessary"- Malcolm X |