“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are we were created equal.'” This quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech basically sums up the entire civil rights movement. Not all people know that there was not a single great civil rights leader. Although Americans study MLK more today, there were many other civil rights leaders, none more famous than Malcolm X or known by his Islamic name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. MLK and Malcolm MLK believed this could only be achieved with non-violent protest, while Malcolm X used violent protest. Malcolm X and MLK protested in a very different style, both achieving great success; however, MLK was more successful in his protests. First, MLK and Malcolm X were very similar. Both had a similar vision of a black and white future together. However, MLK approached the Civil Rights Movement by preaching nonviolent civil disobedience. While Malcolm X believed that violence was the only way to achieve their equality. MLK also believed that blacks and whites should be totally desegregated, and Malcolm X thought that blacks and whites should remain segregated, but whites should not control everything blacks do (Boelstler). Usually people believe that Malcolm X and his followers simply attacked racist whites, but this is not true. Malcolm X and his group only used violence when they were attacked by angry whites during their protests. MLK and his followers never used violence and were still punished because they had committed a serious crime. Even when MLK's followers were brutally... middle of paper... Alcolm That's why when the average American thinks of the civil rights movement, they think of Dr. Martin Luther King JR.Works Cited Boelstler, Melissa. “MLK vs. Malcolm X.” Life exams. Np, March 6, 2011. Web. April 23, 2014. Simon, John J. “Malcolm X: His Legacy.” Gentlemen ProQuest. Np, February 2005. Web.April 28, 2014. "Martin Luther King Jr." History.com. A&E and Web television networks. May 14 2014. .