Early Black Leaders of America Essay

American History Early Black Leaders of America In history, It Is a proven fact that leader Is to lead In everything that we do In our daily lives. During the civil rights times on into the current time, there were black leaders ot America that changed the world. Many black leaders paved the way tor many of African Americans today and some died for us. Their ideas, tactics, and solutions for problems faced by blacks were significant. The three black leaders of America I will be discussing are Fredrick Douglas, Malcom X. end Martin Luther King. First, Fredrick Douglas was a prominent American abolitionist, author and orator. Born a slave, Douglass escaped at age 20 and went on to become a world-renowned antislavery activist. HIS three autobiographies are considered important works of the slave narrative tradition as well as classics of American autobiography† Douglass’ work as a reformer ranged from his abolitionist activities In the early 1840s to his attacks on Jim Crow and lynching in the 1890s. For 16 years he edited an influential black newspaper and achieved International tame as an Insplrlng and persuasive speaker and writer. In thousands of speeches and editorials, he levied a powerful indictment against slavery and racism, provided an indomitable voice of hope for his people, embraced antislavery politics and preached his own brand of American ideals. econd, Malcom x was an actlvlst and outspoken public voice of the Black Muslim faith, challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the nonviolent pursuit of Integration championed by Martin Luther King Jr, He urged followers to defend themselves against white aggression â€Å"by any means necessary. † Malcolm became an influential leader of the Nation of Islam, which combined Islam with black nationalism and sought to encourage and enfranchise disadvantaged young blacks searching for confidence in segregated America. After Malcolm X’s death in 1965, his bestselling book The Autobiography ot Malcolm X popularized his Ideas, particularly mong black youth, and laid the foundation for the Black Power movement of the late 1960s and 1970s Last, Martin Luther King played d key role In the American clvll rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. Inspired by advocates of nonviolence such as Mahatma Gandhi, King sought equality tor Atrlcan Americans, the economically disadvantaged and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. He was the driving force behind watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott nd the March on Washington, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act. The use of his mouth was his most powerful weapon and it worked well. I picked the three leaders because they were the most influential to me. These men are the Mount Rushmore’s of the black American leaders and I think they really were people to look up to. Their Ideas, tactics, and solutions worked well as we witness In nlstory. some people are Dorn to lead ana tnese tnree men were oennltely born to do that.