The Civil Rights movement is a key time in American History with many avid figures and charismatic leaders. Through the readings we got a peak of two of the more prominent speakers of the time, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. These men both wanted what they believed was best for their people, but went on different routes to achieve their goals. To better understand the convictions of these men and why they spoke the way they spoke and acted the way they acted, some backstory of their history is needed, in order to get a better context to examine these speeches from.

"I have a dream " Those words alone are some the most famous ever spoken when it comes to the fact of Civil Rights. These words came from a man of patience, virtue, and determination, Martin Luther King jr.. This man, born in the southern city of Atlanta Georgia, became the renowned leader of long, argues, but successful, group of people who seeked their freedom without violence. The great man would then be gunned down in 1968 while at a strike in Tennessee. Before his untimely demise, King would release a book entitled Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? In this book a chapter titled "The World House" was written by King discussing the need for poverty to be wiped from the world. The entirety of the text shows influences from a myriad of outside sources, hoping to ensure a greater effect on its audience. 

To begin and examination of the writer himself would be prudent in determining what influences may have led to its creation. Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15th 1929, in Atlanta Georgia. King would live through segregation growing up and strive for great education. He would grow up to be a Baptist minister but would eventually become the head of the

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). King would do his best to lead civil rights for his people, taking inspiration from Gandhi, and his non-violent revolution in India. This helped lead to King's belief in that violence was not the answer for the success of his revolution but instead an obstacle. King gave stirring speeches as he gathered support for his peaceful change of his people and the country he called home.

On August 28th of 1963 King would find himself standing in front of thousands of fellow Americans, standing side by side no matter the color of their skin. On that day King would give his most famous speech of his lifetime. This speech, was the everyone would know. Whether or not you agreed with King or not was regardless because either way you heard of the speech. Even Malcolm X who disregarded King's methods and tactics acknowledged the man's powerful speech. Seeing the turnout of attendees gave King even greater confidence in his movement and his belief that one day true peace and equality could be reached with enough hard work, good faith, and love for thy neighbor. King would hold on to these hope and continue his speeches and marches until his untimely demise at the hands of a gunman on April 4th, 1968. Kings lessons were not loss on his death though and marches still continued even as the man was laid to rest as a national hero to the people of America.

Malcolm X was chosen to cover the other view for progress in Civil Rights and the more radical side of a largely progressive movement. A biography of his life offers background information to what led to him having his outlook on change and his disapproving nature on how Nonviolence was doing in the movement. He faced racism and harsh conditions all throughout his life but he would overcome these but come to detest all forms of the white man. He even disregarded the whites that supported Civil Rights. For him a complete reversal of roles was needed and he would not settle for less.

Malcolm X was born on May 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm was born as the fourth son of eight kids to Earl and Louise Little.  His family was constantly subjected to harassment while at young age. At the age of four, members of the KKK would come in and smash all the windows of his family's home. This would lead to his father moving his entire family to East Lansing, Michigan. Shortly after their move though, there family would face even worse racism as their home would be lit aflame.  "The white police and firemen came and stood around watching as the house burned to the ground," Malcolm X would later remember. Things would go from bad to worse, when two years later Malcolm's father would be found dead and laid out on the local streetcar tracks. Stuck with grief of her husband's death Malcolm's mother would be sent to a mental institution in 1937. Malcolm would leave home to live with friends and family at this time.  At the age of 15 Malcolm would drop out of  school due a teacher telling him to be realistic. Malcolm would then move to Boston where he would conduct to a life of drugs and crime to help make a living. It would come to an end in 1946 when he would be arrested and sentenced to ten years in jail. During his incarceration Malcolm would read books and gain knowledge withheld from him during his younger years. It would be during this time that Malcolm would drop his last name of Little for the one he would take in history, X.

Upon his freedom Malcolm would travel to Detroit, Michigan and become inspired by the Nation of Islam movement. With his charismatic speeches and overall enthusiasm X would recruit many blacks in his organizations and efforts. The Nation of Islam would grow from 400 member to 40,000 members by 1960 largely due to X's effort. Malcolm's Voice would grow to one of completely radical to those of King Jr. Malcolm would even come to denounce King's entire movement through charismatic speeches, stating that King and his fellow leaders were just in the pockets of the white men who helped King's organization. He would even come to state "You don't have a turn-the-cheek revolution. There's no such thing as a nonviolent revolution." as direct response to King's speeches. 

In 1963 though Malcolm's views would radically as he would travel through North Africa and the Middle East. He would take would take up traditional Muslim pilgrimage to the holy site, Mecca. Here, Malcolm said he reached enlightenment and upon his return sought peaceful means for the revolution. "The true brotherhood I had seen had influenced me to recognize that anger can blind human vision," Sadly shortly afterwards Malcolm would be assassinated. On February 21st 1965 in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, New York, New York, he would be gunned down by three men who charged their way on stage before the speech even began.

Through the history of the lives of these two men, and image of what people went through can be put together and greater meaning given to what they wrought and the struggle they went through. These men's actions haven't been and shouldn't ever be forgotten in the history of America. Even if these men didn't agree, they still strived for the greater cause for their people and as such are commended in history for their great effort.

