Trials
Shen
Name: ____________________________
Martin Luther King Jr. v. Malcolm X
Whose Philosophy Made the Most Sense for America in the 1960s?
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were complicated men. Although
both men certainly agreed upon the need for full equality for African
Americans, they disagreed on some of the strategies necessary to achieve
that goal.
Please read the following quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm
X. Identify each man’s position on the relevant issues, and fill out the chart
that follows the quotes. Be thorough and complete. After you fill out their
beliefs, you will be asked to consider what your opinion is on each issue.
Malcolm X Quotes
Independence comes only by two ways – by ballots or bullets. Historically
you’ll find that everyone who gets freedom gets it through ballots or
bullets. Now naturally everyone prefers ballots, and even I prefer ballots, but I
don’t discount bullets. I’m not interested in either ballots or bullets; I’m interested in freedom.
- Interview with Claude Lewis (December 1964)
We are taught by Mr. Muhammad that it is very important to improve the black man’s economy, his thrift.
But to do this, we must have land of our own. The brainwashed black man can never learn to stand on his
own two feet until he is on his own.
- Interview in Playboy magazine (May 1963)
I don’t see how you could call the strides being made in the field of integration rapid when you don’t have
one city in this country that can honestly say it is an example of sincere integration.
- Interview with station WUST (May 1963)
Every time I hear Martin [Luther King] has a dream, I think Negro leaders have to come out of the clouds
and wake up and stop dreaming and start facing reality.
- Interview with Claude Lewis (December 1964)
I think if there’s going to be a flowing of blood, it should be reciprocal. Black people shouldn’t be willing to
bleed unless white people are willing to bleed. And black people shouldn’t be willing to be non-violent unless
white people are going to be non-violent.
- Interview with Claude Lewis (December 1964)
Our goal is to bring about the complete independence of people of African descent, in the Western
Hemisphere and here in the United States, and to bring about the freedom of these people…by any means
necessary.
- Speech to his supporters (June 1964)
Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to
the cemetery.
- Malcolm X Speaks (1965)
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. I say it, if they put me in jail tomorrow, kill that dog. Then you'll
put a stop to it. Now, if these white people in here don't want to see that kind of action, get down and tell the
mayor to tell the police department to pull the dogs in. That's all you have to do. If you don't do it, someone
else will…
…Last but not least, I must say this concerning the great controversy over rifles and shotguns. The only thing
that I've ever said is that in areas where the government has proven itself either unwilling or unable to defend
the lives and the property of Negroes, it's time for Negroes to defend themselves. Article number two of the
constitutional amendments provides you and me the right to own a rifle or a shotgun. It is constitutionally
legal to own a shotgun or a rifle. This doesn't mean you're going to get a rifle and form battalions and go out
looking for white folks, although you'd be within your rights -- I mean, you'd be justified; but that would be
illegal and we don't do anything illegal. If the white man doesn't want the black man buying rifles and
shotguns, then let the government do its job…
- Ballot or Bullet Speech (1964)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes
There is something that I must say to my people… Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by
drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of
dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence… And so
even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted
in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of
its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day
on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit
down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert
state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and
justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
- March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (August 28, 1963)
Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to
overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence…
- Acceptance Speech at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, Stockholm, Sweden (December 10, 1964)
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be
demanded by the oppressed… For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro
with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant "never." We must come to see with the
distinguished jurist of yesterday that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."
You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?"
You are quite right in calling, for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent
direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly
refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be
ignored… I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension
which is necessary for growth.
- Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 16, 1963)
[I]t is necessary to understand that Black Power is a cry of disappointment… It was born from the wounds of
despair and disappointment. It is a cry of daily hurt and persistent pain.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967)
It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think
that's pretty important.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., Wall Street Journal (November 13, 1962)
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral
of destruction....The chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken,
or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love (1963)
There is a concrete, real black power that I believe in. I don’t believe in black separatism, I don’t believe in
black power that would have racist overtones, but certainly if black power means the amassing of political and
economic power in order to gain our just and legitimate goals, then we all believe in that. And I think that all
white people of good will believe in that.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., statement on Black Power
Issue
What were his
goals for the
nation as a whole
& especially for
AfricanAmericans?
(What was his
vision?)
Should the Civil
Rights
Movement be
integrated?
(Should blacks &
whites work
together to
achieve the goal of
creating an
integrated
America?)
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Malcolm X
I believe…
Issue
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Malcolm X
I believe…
What did he feel
were the pros &
cons of
nonviolence as a
strategy?
In-class debate:
1. Should African-Americans have the right to defend themselves? Why or why not?
2. What benefits/drawbacks do you see to non-violence and militancy as tactics? Which approach do
you think is most effective at achieving results? Why?
3. Should the leadership, planning and participation in the movement be integrated?
4. What would you define as progress and/or victory? What should be the ultimate goal of the Civil
Rights Movement?
5. Think about the various individuals we have studied in this unit. Who do you identify most with and
why?
In-Class Writing Assignment: (This will count for 40 points & will be counted as part of your unit test for
this unit. Please take it seriously and incorporate what you have learned about writing mechanics, using
detailed examples and ANALYSIS.)
Using the knowledge you now possess about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, please answer the
following question:
What should the ultimate goal of the civil rights movement be, and how should we achieve it?
Do not simply regurgitate the information from the chart. Try to integrate your knowledge smoothly into a
position paper that addresses the above issues and answers the question at the same time. Be creative, but do
not be outlandish and unrealistic. You will have one block in class to type your response; this will be collected
and graded for credit.