and Malcolm X grew up in different environments and this difference affected the way that they worked for equal rights. King was raised in a comfortable middle-class family where education was stressed. On the other hand, Malcolm X came from an underprivileged home. He was a self-taught man who received very little schooling and became great by his own intelligence and determination. Martin Luther King was born into a family whose name in Atlanta was well established. Despite segregation, Martin Luther King's parents ensured that their child was secure and happy. Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 and was raised in a completely different atmosphere than King, at a young age his house was burned down by the Ku Klux Klan and his father was murdered. His mother later had a nervous breakdown and his family was split up. He was haunted by this early nightmare for most of his life. From that time on, he was driven by hatred and a desire for revenge. The early history of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were responsible for the different responses to American racism. Both men became daunting figures in African-American culture and had a great influence on black Americans. However, King had a more positive attitude than Malcolm X; he believed that through peaceful demonstrations and arguments, blacks would someday be able to achieve full equality with whites. Malcolm X's despair about life was reflected in his angry, pessimistic belief that equality is impossible because whites have no moral conscience. In his learnings, and later in his teachings, Malcolm X stressed the evils of whites. King basically adopted on an integrationalist philosophy, where he felt that blacks and whites should be united and live together in peace. Malcolm X promoted nationalist and separatist doctrines. For most of his life, he believed that only through rebellion and force could blacks attain their rightful place in society. Both Malcolm X and Martin...
