Civil Rights Leaders
By: Scott Summers
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was undoubtedly the leader of the civil rights movement. His non violent tactics caught on with many African Americans . They showed how even though blacks were doing nothing wrong, they were still be persecuted. One example of something MLK would endorse would be sit ins. Even though African Americans were just sitting peacefully in a restaurant, they were still tormented by whites. This showed a lot of unfairness towards blacks. Media attention would also contribute greatly to the successfulness of a peaceful protest.
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was another very influential individual in the civil rights movement. He provided an alternative to King's peaceful demonstrations. Malcomm X swore hatred to all white people and believed in violent protests. He thought the only way to overcome racism was to stand up to the racist people. His views were popular with many young, rebellious men and women.
Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael's thoughts were similar to Malcom X's beliefs. Carmichael's belief was in Black Power. He was not so much into integration but rather wanted blacks to have more political and economical power. Carmicheal's ideologies caught on with blacks that were tired of getting beaten by whites.
Influence Rating
3rd Stokely Carmichael
Carmichael's ideas were very similar to Malcolm X's but they were not as widespread.
2nd Malcolm X
Malcolm X provided a good alternative to the non violent protests that MLK was organizing. His ideas really caught on with the younger African American crowd.
1st Martin Luther King Jr.
MLK is the uncontested leader of the civil rights movement for a reason. Even under the most extreme pressure, MLK remained calm. His non violent protests were a very persuisive argument for equality.