Black political life during the 1960s was characterized by vigorous debate over aims,strategies and tactics. Some argued in favor of non-violent civil disobedience,while others defended the utility of armed self-defense to achieve social justice.
Some activists saw integration as the penultimate goal, but others felt that American society need to be overhauled politically and economically.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” and Malcolm X’s 1963 “Message to the Grassroots” speech reflect these different visions and strategies of race advancement. What specific aims and strategies does each advocate? Whose arguments do you find most convincing? Why? Explain.
