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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X represented two sides to the civil rights struggles of the 1960's. King's message of non-violence and integration and Malcolm X's message of separatism "by any means necessary" were mutually exclusive: black Americans essentially had to choose one or the other. However, they were united in that they both sought to eliminate racism and to achieve justice for black Americans and were assassinated because of this powerful message. The tension between their philosophies continued (and arguably, still continues) to create controversy long after both men died.

Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King's fathers were preachers; although this tradition undoubtedly influenced their articulation and outspokenness, the similarities between their childhood lives ends here. Malcolm X was brought up in near poverty; after his father died at an early age, his family's source of income vanished, causing his mother to have a nervous breakdown and to be institutionalized. After dropping out of school (for being told that his skin color made his ambition to be a lawyer "unrealistic"), he drifted between foster families. This background made Malcolm an angry, intelligent young man with nothing to lose. On the other hand, Martin Luther King was born into a tight-knit and middle-class family. The presence of economic stability gave him the ability to excel in school, and the solidness of his home life gave him confidence and morality. However, his family's prestigious heritage instilled pressure in him not to rock the boat. In short, Martin was a young man with quite a lot to lose by speaking his mind.

Coincidentally, both men relocated from their home life in the south to Boston, Malcolm to live with his sister, and Martin to get his doctorate at Boston University. This change of location opened the eyes of both men to an entirely different world, but due to their backgrounds, both responded in entirely different ways. Malcolm became a full-time hustler, embracing a life of cheap thrills and petty crimes. This lifestyle led to a prison sentence, where he was introduced to the Nation of Islam. King, on the other hand, became a scholar, studying philosophy and becoming introduced to the life of Mahatma Ghandi. Ghandi's philosophy of non-violent resistance was as influential on King's later work as the Nation of Islam was to Malcolm's ideas. After both men were released from their respective institutions, they began putting these ideas to practice.

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