The twentieth century was a time of social injustices. When talking about the twentieth century, the issue of civil rights and its leaders is bound to be talked about. Stokely Carmichael's speech "Black Power" was delivered at UC Berkley in October of 1966. Although the audience was primarily white student activist, the message Carmichael delivers is clear. Malcom X delivers his speech to the Northern Negro Grass Roots Leadership Conference on November 10, 1963. Stokely Carmichael and Malcom X deliver powerful speeches to invoke a change in the psychological structure in America during the twentieth century, which were impacted by segregation and the Civil Rights era.

Carmichael claims that it's not the blacks who are to blame, "I knew that I could vote and that that wasn't a privilege; it was my right. Every time I tried I was shot, killed or jailed, beaten or economically deprived. So somebody had to write a bill for white people to tell them, 'When a black man comes to vote, don't bother him'", this further clarifies Carmichael's idea. To Carmichael, the problem wasn't that blacks were weak, or didn't know their rights, instead the problem to him was that the white man didn't know that blacks had the same rights as the black man. ("American Rhetoric: Stokely Carmichael - Black Power"). Carmichael wanted change and although he was originally a follower of the peaceful revolution that MLK believed in, Carmichael eventually understood that violence was necessary, "the turning point in Carmichael's experience came as he watched when African American demonstrators were beaten and shocked with cattle prods by police", this turning point in Carmichael's life continued to affect him ("Stokely Carmichael Biography").  However, by the end of Carmichael's life he was likely to see eye-to-eye with Malcom X and groups like the Black Panthers, then Martin Luther King Jr.

To continue, like many other civil rights leaders of the time, Carmichael would condone any use of violence, if necessary. How ever this belief was somewhat altered when it came to Malcom X. Similar to Civil Rights leader Stokely Carmichael, Malcom X delivered a powerful speech, however to an audience of minorities at the Northern Negro Grass Roots Leadership Conference. Malcom X claims that it's the blacks and Negros' fault. He believed that blacks listened to the whites blindly, "As long as the white man sent you to Korea, you bled. He sent you to Germany, you bled. He sent you to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese, you bled. You bleed for white people" ("Message to Grassroots | Teaching American History"). While Carmichael just wanted the term "separate but equal" to actually mean equal, Malcom X wanted to oppress the white man. Malcom X believed in force and violence. In Malcom X's speech he talks about the difference between the black and the negro revolution, and how each revolution involves "bloodshed". The use of the term "bloodshed" is repeated multiple times during his speech. The use of repetition was easily noticed in Malcom X's speech, in order to appeal to the audience's emotion.

The speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. "The World House", shares an idea that one very different family is forced to live inside a house. This is an analogy for all of the world's people to have to share the world and work together to make it a nice place to live. MLK believed in a peaceful revolution. The speech was broken up into parts, "Martin Luther King, Jr. provided perhaps his most sophisticated analysis of racism as a global phenomenon, with a special focus on both its tragic impact on people of color and its threat to human welfare and survival as a whole", this includes his mentioning of poverty and how we can stop racism, and save not only our country but the world ("MLK's"). As Martin Luther King Jr. closes up his speech, he gives the people an answer, "A final problem that mankind must solve in order to survive in the world house that we have inherited is finding an alternative to war and human destruction.... Therefore, I suggest that the philosophy and strategy of nonviolence become immediately a subject for study and for serious experimentation in every field of human conflict, by no means excluding the relations between nations.... We still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co annihilation This may well be mankind's last chance to choose between chaos and community" ("ACTIVITY 8: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.-FROM CIVIL RIGHTS TO HUMAN RIGHTS").

These three leaders were widely followed, and their ideas shared by the majority. Although some leaders, such as Martin Luther King, believed in peaceful integration, and other thought violence and "bloodshed" was necessary, they all wanted a change. The use of diction is prominent in all speeches, the use of repetition by Malcom X displays the cost and what's necessary for a change. Carmichael's diction is more sophisticated and gives the listener the idea to listen to him because he seems educated. Where as Martin Luther King Jr.'s use of analogy gives the listener a scenario and allows them to see how easy he believed everything could be.

The three pieces may have some differences, however they were all intended to inform the reader of the civil rights issues during the twentieth century from the black's perspective. Although most people, if not all, in America are aware of the troubles faced by minorities during this time, "Black Power" "Message to Grass Roots" and "The World House" show the readers the different perspectives, instead of just what happened. From learning about MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, and Rosa Parks, most students never go into depth about the violence and the force used to achieve their "dreams". So Malcom X and Carmichael give the reader a perspective of what the seem to consider necessary. In contrast with Martin Luther King Jr. who believed in a peaceful integration, and a peaceful revolution.

In conclusion, "Black Power" by Stokely Carmichael, "Message to Grass Roots" by Malcom X, "The World House" by Martin Luther King Jr. are all speeches used to give the listeners or readers an insight to their pains through the use of diction, analogy, appeal to emotions, or allusions. The listeners gain the knowledge of what the blacks thought during the civil rights movement, and what the different leaders wanted and how they would go about it.

