Malcolm X

In my opinion, Malcolm X was not a human rights activist. When I think of human rights activism, I think of a peaceful and nonviolent approach for attaining equal rights. It would make sense that you would go about it this way if you were fighting for human rights. It isn't exactly right to be violent. But with Malcolm X, his approach of "whatever means necessary" brings violence. It is almost hypocritical to persuade people to fight whites, when that is exactly what you are trying to overcome. I feel that Martin Luther King Jr. had the correct approach to the Civil Rights Movement, and that is why he was so successful. And of course Malcolm X was successful, but there is a reason we do not learn that much about him in school. His went about things in the completely wrong way.

Major Legislation for the Civil Rights Movement

The major legislation that was a breakthrough for all those fighting for Civil Rights was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This piece of legislation found the Jim Crow Laws unconstitutional and "separate but equal" was no longer in place. Blacks were now legally integrated into society, including in schools and all public places. It gave citizenship to all blacks and guaranteed their equal protection under the laws of the U.S. Constitution. This was such a breakthrough for the Civil Rights Movement because they had finally achieved what they set out to do in the beginning. They were now open to legal representation and equal treatment. Of course, society didn't just change immediately and accept blacks as completely equal, and it still doesn't today. But at this time, blacks were now legally a part of society.

Letter From a Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr. was in Alabama at this time fighting for civil rights. He was invited to Alabama to participate in a non-violent protest along with others who are a part of an organization. Alabama was possible the strictest and worst southern state at this point. His style of fighting was almost peaceful, yet the white violence toward him made it harsh. He wanted to fight at the center of it all and get to the core of the problem. He wanted to be arrested so that a statement could be made to the entire nation, that things were wrong. His message of never giving up hope and fighting for justice came through in his letter and he urged those fighting to not fight back, but instead just stand there and accept the violence that came toward them. Also he wanted to show that people are equal no matter what their skin color is and we should all treat each other that way and love each other that way.