Civil Rights

	In looking at how the actions of individuals influence historical change I focused on the civil rights movement. Instead of focusing on only one individual I studied two opposing civil rights activists, each having a different method to their approach. In analyzing the effects that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had on the civil rights movement I was able see whether they can be regarded as the central factor in influencing changes. In the 1960’s African Americans became increasingly active in the struggle for civil rights. The initial phase of this activity began in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a White passenger on a Montgomery Alabama bus. The incident sparked a major boycott of the bus company from the Black community, which was lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. King and his supporters, who possessed the non-violent ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi, continued the boycott for more than a year. King began to gain national prominence and recognition for his exceptional oratorical skills and courage. He continued in his struggle for civil rights by participating in freedom rides, sit-ins, and protest marches, while uniting and inspiring African Americans to unite in the non-violent struggle for civil rights. In the early 1960’s, in spite of his accomplishments, King began to face strong opposition from new militant organizations. The most formidable of these was the Nation of Islam. Although the leader of the movement was Elijah Muhammad, the man who gained popularity for the radical group was Malcolm X. He started several Muslim groups around the country and preached his revolutionary attitudes toward Whites. He encouraged Blacks to stand up and fight for their liberation. Although both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were in the same struggle, their methods and approaches to their cause were dramatically different.
The civil rights movement is an area of study that is filled with extreme conflict. Not only the obvious conflict of Black vs. White and women vs. men, but also the imbedded conflict between civil rights activists. I wanted to look at this subject because I wanted to see how different individuals, fighting for the virtually the same cause, opposed each other's methods. The most significant opposition of tactics was between the two men to the right, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.		In our historiography class we set out to analyze the the diiferent approaches that historians take in studying history. One of the major areas we looked at was how they interpret and convey information. We often found that historians, like most intellectuals, "bend" the facts and truths to fit their aim in writing. I found this to be prevelant in my research. Most sources favored the nonviolent approach taken by King and denounced the militancy of Malcolm X. This is not surprising when one considers the fragility of the topic. It is significantly easier to agree with King than to create controversy and side with Malcolm X. Whether this is the reason for the biased on this subject is not proven, but one thing that I have learned in this class is that one must always consider the source; who is writing and the historical/social context in which they are writing.