Throughout history great thinkers have graced this world with their existence such as Gandhi and Mandela. These men where revolutionary thinkers but had a very peaceful approach to the situation, in the United States another great thinker came into play. Martin Luther King is perhaps the most renowned civil rights leader to have lived and his actions continue to shape the world today and keep the fight for racial equality strong. Martin Luther King was known for his peaceful approach to heated situations, peaceful marches and protests would be broken up with gunfire and police dogs but King never changed his ways. In his book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? He wrote a chapter called "The World House" where he fights not only for racial equality but also for ending poverty. Martin Luther King's impact on the United States is still clear today and without him racial equality may still have been a farfetched idea.

In "The World House" Martin Luther King directly stated "what is happening in the United States today is a significant part of a world development" (King 285). The outcome of the civil rights movement would have a gigantic effect on the world if the United States could adopt a policy of equality. The United States was a perfect first world model and if that model incorporated racial equality other countries would surely do the same. Dr. King later stated that the freedom movement was spreading like a wildfire in this statement "All over the world like a fever, freedom is spreading in the wildest liberation movement in history" (King 285). The world was changing rapidly and Dr. King watched as the Blacks and Asians in the United States rose up and joined the global movement for equality but they needed guidance and a leader. Dr. King organized some of the biggest marches and protests in history for the sake of progress and globalizing the idea of racial equality. In "The World House" King compares the nation and the world to a house whose foundation is not sound due to the presence of racial inequality and suggests that since everyone has to live in the house why everyone cannot just get along.

Martin Luther King was greatly known for his practice of nonviolence and he urged his followers to do the same. He believed that violence would only hinder progress and tarnish the cause. Other revolutionary leaders of the time however criticized King for his nonviolent approach. One such person was Malcom X, he was another civil rights activist that lived and protested at the same time as King only that his ideas where much more radical and brutal. In his speech "The Ballot or the Bullet" Malcom X stated "Any time you demonstrate against segregation and a man has the audacity to put a police dog on you, kill that dog, kill him, I'm telling you, kill that dog" (5).  Malcom X in contrast to King believed that the only way to accomplish racial equality was through bloodshed and revolution. In the chapter "The World House" King stresses the importance of nonviolence on several occasions. On one such occasion King said "Therefore I suggest that the philosophy and strategy of nonviolence become immediately a subject for study and for serious experimentation" (294). The idea of nonviolence was a hard one to follow for many of the demonstrators due to the harsh treatment that they received at the hands of local police departments. Demonstrators were beaten and shot at, sprayed with fire hoses and attacked by dogs simply for marching and peacefully exerting their right to free speech and trying to make their cause known. King compared the sound of the siren's song to violence and how compelling and easy it was to be violent in this passage "So we must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war" (295). King made it a point to fight inequality with diplomatic means rather than barbaric actions. 

King does not only talk about the progression of black rights in his book he also talks about poverty which play a major part in inequality throughout the world even in today's modernized society. King thoroughly discusses the importance of spreading wealth and making sure everyone has enough to eat. King calls out the first world countries for not doing enough to help the poor he states "If they would allocate just 2 percent of their gross national product annually ... " (291). King even goes as far as comparing communism and capitalism saying that a happy medium must be found in order to guarantee equal opportunity for all people. This book was written during the cold war era where the public had a fair of the communist regime taking over the east. King made several points about communism that are directly applicable to racism and racial inequality. Martin Luther King in a sense believes that the key to putting an end to racism is to stop talking about racism and using the term and instead push for equality, the use of the word brings power to the cause of the racists by keeping the cause alive. King used communism as an example he said "We must not engage in a negative anti-Communism, but rather in a positive thrust for democracy" (297). His ideas about communism are directly related to equality, instead of engaging in "anti-racism" his followers should instead push for equality and fair treatment. Racism feeds off of the media coverage and exposure, if society stops using the term then the idea will eventually die out due to a lack of support and exposure, the idea will essentially be forgotten. Malcom X also mentioned poverty and how a collective money source could help the community, he said "We're all poor as individuals. Our weekly salary individually amounts to hardly anything. But if you take the salary of everyone in here collectively, it'll fill up a whole lot of baskets" (5). Malcom X says that the poor African Americans are giving away their money to the government and making the white man richer. Wealth has and always will be a cause for conflict and until wealth can evenly be distributed there will be crime and wars fought over money and financial resources. 

Throughout history oppression has been a common occurrence, not just in the United States but all around the world. Although Martin Luther King and Malcom X were two complete opposites in the end they were both fighting for the same cause. Dr. King approached with a diplomatic and peaceful approach while Malcom X pushed for bloodshed and a full-fledged revolution. King in a sense knew that change would come eventually but at its own pace and that peace and perseverance was the only way to achieve equality. Racism and prejudice are both still alive in the world today but society is pushing more than ever for the eradication of racism and pushing for equality for all races. Nations are starting to support one another in time of need and several programs and organizations are conducting aid campaigns to third world countries. If Dr. King was still alive today he would be proud of how the world has changed for the better, there is still a long way to go to accomplish compete equality but the world is definitely moving in the right direction. The foundation of the world house is becoming stronger as each day passes and people are beginning to accept one another regardless of race or monetary status.

