There is one main difference between the views Martin Luther king and Malcom X had on how the racial issues within America should be solved. Martin Luther King believed there were issues within America, however he did not believe that these issues directly correlated to the actions of the white man. King believed that the issues within America stemmed from deeper issues that occur all over the world. However, Malcom X believed that the racial issues, which could be seen during the Civil Rights movement, were directly caused by the white man's actions. Humans must realize that we are all of the same race, and the color of our skin does not divide us into different races.

The March on Washington was an event that occurred during 1963, where over 200,000 Americans gathered to peacefully protest for freedom and jobs. This group consisted mostly of blacks but there were whites mixed in as well. Martin Luther King gave a speech on that day, August 28, his famous, "I Have Dream", speech. This and, "The World House" speech, gives people of today's times a glimpse into the mind of Martin Luther King and how he believed the racial issues in America could be solve. King believed the technology advances humans made during the last century and the century to come, would play a significant role in how these racial issues would be solved in the future. (King 285) In King's, "I Have a Dream" speech, he states that it would be a grave mistake if Americans did not understand the value placed on the current moment and talks about the moment as being a constant rush.(King line 37) Another example of King's understanding of his time is hidden within this speech, he states "1963 is not an end but, a beginning" (King line 40) , when King says this he implies that he has an unshakeable faith in the future of our country. This is the mind frame that King believes every person in the United States should possess each day for these racial issues to wither away. King believes that from this new beginning, established on August 28, 1963, we could never go back to the way things were, all we can do is continue to push ahead. We must always take steps towards equality not economically, but equality within the perception every human on this earth has of one another. There are so many instinctual reactions a human has when perceiving another, instantly recognized their skin color, their gender, the length of their hair, etc. (Magee)These instincts are the perception we as humans have of every other human on this earth. These perceptions are based off the emotions that we feel when observing our world and other humans. We cannot control them, but they can be ignored if we consciously make the decision to do just that, ignore them. King states that he has a dream for all of his children to live in a country where there are no assumptions made about them because of their skin color. To be looked at as human and not as something of lesser value because of your skin color. (King, "I Have a Dream") Character is a human trait, and King says that this is what he hopes his children will be judged upon. The color of our skin is not a human trait, it is simply a distortion in the way every human perceives another, a barrier to hold the human race back from our full potential. This potential could be achieved if every human on this planet knew this vision Martin Luther King possessed for our country was something that could be achieved. Malcom X believed this same thing in regards to the perception of humans, however he believed that this was mainly a problem within the Black community. 

Malcom X believed there was a specific issue in America's perception of the black community. (Malcom X line 2) Violence was the way X believed these issues should be resolved, unlike King. Another difference between these two great Civil Rights leaders was that Malcom believed the perception of the black community was created solely by the white man and the grudge he held against the black man. (Malcom X line 27) In order to see this train of thought Malcom possesses, specific examples can be identified in his speech, "Who Taught You to Hate Yourself?" X states, "Here the white man makes the whiskey and then puts you in jail for getting drunk." (Malcom X line 13) This major difference between King and X creates two different perceptions of the black community formed during the civil rights movement. The obvious one is how Malcom X believed that the white man was the reason for how the black community is perceived and the issues that lie within this perception. (Malcom X line 13) Whereas, King believed that these issues were something that every human on earth faces. (King 285) The true issue being the instinctual emotions that every human feels when perceiving another human. We live in a time where these emotions must be ignored for the human race to progress past the current moment. When Malcom X states that the issue created in the way humans perceive one another is in existence solely because of the actions of white men (Malcom X line 13), he is remaining stagnate within the past. Constantly reminiscing will never lead to any change occurring, thus never a change in way the black community is perceived. Malcom X was a man who understood the time he lived in more than most people of his time, and because of this he became enraged with the circumstances of his time. Blaming the white man for the direction of the black community. With the perspective that Malcom X possessed how could you not be enraged with way blacks were perceived by the rest of the country, during the Civil Rights Movement. Malcom X had the passion to bring change about in regards to how blacks were perceived by the rest of the country but he means in which he wanted this change to occur was ill-conceived. It was this passion for change that made a portion of the black community believe that the only way for equality to be obtain was for them to take violent action. The reality of the situation is that only the person, only the community, which desires a change in the way they are perceived must truly change themselves. After the Civil Rights Movement, part of the black community believed that change had occurred and equality had been established while the other part of the black community believed that in order for this change to truly occur violent action must be taken. These two different thought processes of the black community can be see today, where some blacks have invested in education and values, and are currently reaping the benefits of their actions. While other blacks invested in drugs and abandoned the family structure which made America ideal for raising a child. Anybody would be enraged with what these actions bring, poverty.

The March on Washington was a tremendous achievement for the Civil rights movement during the 1960's.  The speech Martin Luther King performed, "I Have a Dream", is held to the highest standard when the Civil Rights Movement is discussed today. The peaceful protest that occurred during, "The March on Washington", was ideal for how King believed Blacks should protest the racial injustice. Controversially, Malcom X did not believe that Blacks should protest peacefully to gain racial equality. Malcom's reasoning for encouraging violent acts of protest is rooted in his belief that the catalyst for the issues that can be seen in the black community during the 1960's, and still seen today, are created by specific actions that the white man, or white community, was involved in. In order for us to move past these thoughts of hatred towards a human based on the color of their skin, humans must come to a realization of race. This realization is the idea that we are all of the same race, the human race, and the difference in the color of our skin is an obstacle for our race to overcome if we are to reach our full potential.


