The Effectiveness of Martin Luther King Jr, as Opposed to...

The Influence of One Man After slavery was abolished, African Americans worked to integrate into mainstream American society. During the twentieth century many African American civil rights leaders led the African American civil rights movement. All of them had different ideas and approaches to further improve the status for the African American individual in attempt to gain civil equality. The pioneer civil rights leaders of the twentieth century were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois. Their respected ideas were known to have contradicted with each other. Malcolm X, a black supremacist was a member of the NOI (Nation of Islam) and based his platforms of teachings off from religion. Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach towards gaining†¦show more content†¦The African Americans will have to show that they are useful beings that can both excel and perform at challenging jobs. In essence, Washington’s plan was for African Americans to prove themselves to the dominant white race by acqui ring high economic status. (Gibson, 78.02.02: Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois: The Problem of Negro Leadership.†) However, Booker T. Washington’s job of accepting white supremacy place African Americans in an inferior position. Civil rights leaders should be working for equality. By mainly going after jobs, African Americans will gain economic status but they will forever be considered inferior because of their skin color. Civil rights will not come along because of economic status. W.E.B. Dubois was the rivaling civil rights leader during the early 20th century. W.E.B. Dubois believed that through political action and education, full-citizenship of African Americans in America would be achieved. At first, he agreed with Booker T. Washington’s teachings, however through time Dubois realized flaws within Washington’s ideas. Dubois, in â€Å"Soul of Black Folk† writes, â€Å"The black men of America have a duty to perform, a duty stern and delicate, -- a forward movement to oppose a part of the work of their greatest leader. So far as Mr. Washington peaches