Malcolm X is one of the most dynamic and influential figures of the civil rights era. He is the apostle of black nationalism that had uncompromising resistance to oppression. Different sources show that he was a polarizing figure. He gave the Blacks courage to fight while at the same time dividing the African Americans.

His speeches show how he was an unrelenting truth-teller. Here are the famous Malcolm X speeches and how the ideas present influence the new generation of American leaders. 

The ballot or the bullet

This speech encompasses major themes like discrimination, racism, religion and use of violence. Malcolm X persuades the audience to continue fighting by whatever means necessary. That’s more of calling for a violent revolution especially using armed self-defense.

Afterwards, he realizes how pervasive the white racists had become. The White Americans criticize him and regard him as a menacing character. In this speech, Malcolm X seems to understand the history of life. And advises the Blacks to lift the level of their community to a higher level.

He advises them to make their society beautiful and their social background rich. As a result, they will feel satisfied in their circles. He dismissed the idea of blacks running up and down trying to fit into social welfare where they are not wanted. This is one of the speeches that still has influenced the new American leaders. Up to date, Malcolm’s ideas influence a new generation of American leaders.

Elements of racism and police brutality amongst the Blacks are seriously dealt with. Malcolm X wanted to distance himself from the Nation of Islam. He aimed to reach out to the moderate civil rights activists and get them to accept him in the movement.

Martin Luther King had another view. He advised the audience to use peace to fight for their rights where violence mustn’t be an option. Urging them to avoid satisfying their thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of hatred.

Today citizens can carry out peaceful demonstrations in America against all crimes. None of the suspects gets pardoned regardless of their skin color. They are getting treated as criminals.

Due to equal rights, America has become one of the best destinations for students. Students travel from all over the country to further their college education. It can be challenging for the students to handle all assignments and their studies with lots of work. If the pressure is too much, students can use free “Malcolm X” essays to learn what a good essay should be like. They can learn about the plot, paragraphing, sentence structure, and the command of language needed from the essay samples. This will ease their university life and give them ample time to focus on other subjects.

Message to the grassroots

“Message to the grassroots” is one of Malcolm X’s best speeches that focuses on speaking of the importance of unity. He says they don’t do it as Baptists or Methodists when people come together. A lot of emphasis is put on the fact that one can’t catch hell because they are Methodist or Baptist. Neither can they by being Mason nor an Elk or because you are an American or Black man.

In this case, we see how peace and freedom are intertwined and how the two can’t be separated. You cannot have peace only if you have freedom. Several African American leaders rally up protesters and recite these speeches when one of them is mistreated.

The inequality should never have existed, and everyone should have freedom adorning them. He uses various stylistic devices like a metaphor to show how the situation of inequality seemed to be just a fairy tale. Martin Luther King appears to have a better view of how things should be done in his speech “I have a dream.” Equality must be acquired without hatred, and African Americans should never stop fighting for freedom.

He states that they should never be guilty of wrongful deeds when they strive to get their rights. Most of the ideas of Martin Luther King are based on conducting the struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.

Speeches full of imagery and metaphors help the audience understand the peaceful protests. And also, why violence mustn’t be an option in the future. That shows the difference between Malcolm X’s and Martin Luther King’s approaches to fighting for freedom.

By any means necessary

In this speech, Malcolm X declares their rights on earth to be man, be a human beings, and be respected as human beings. He advocates for African Americans to be given the rights of human beings in society. The intention is to bring justice into existence by any means necessary.

Malcolm X demonstrates a bitter amusement when labelling a purveyor of hatred and violence. It’s ironic how the white Americans keep hating and mistreating African Americans. They brought their ancestors to America, beat them, and lynched them with impunity.

Aware of all the crimes, Malcolm X felt that all African Americans were entitled to secure their freedom “by any means necessary.” The kind of violence that Malcolm referred to was invariably defensive.

Malcolm X managed to influence his parents to stand up against mistreatment. As a result, many African Americans and a large portion of White Americans continuously stand up against any form of injustice. Everyone in America has the right to fair treatment despite their origin. 

Martin Luther King inspires people with a message full of peaceful resistance. He seeks equality and human rights for the economically disadvantaged. And also all victims of injustice in a peaceful protest. In his speech “I have a dream,” he addresses the issues of segregation and racism as a whole. This speech was intended for 250,000 civil rights supporters that attended.

Conclusion

Malcolm X’s speeches are one of the most iconic speeches that leave an undeniable and indelible impact on the lives of African Americans. They have also influenced significant political policies that seek to unite all people and treat them equally. The two dynamic activists embodied leadership. Today, they are revered by many for standing at the frontline against injustice. These speeches have remained eerily relevant when discussing topics like freedom and equality.