Introduction Summary and Analysis

This book concerns the relationship between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X's ideas. Their senses of American life are best described, respectively, as "dream" and "nightmare." Their legacies are still controversial. They differed on the use of violence and in their religions; King was a Christian and Malcolm X a Muslim. The media always presented the two men as rivals, but they were fond of one another, for the most part. However, their meeting on March 26th, 1964 represents two strands in African-American resistance tradition: integrationism and nationalism. The integrationist believes that a black man can be both American and black, whereas the nationalist denies this. Most black intellectuals have embodied both ideals to varying extents.

The integrationist tradition dates back to Frederick Douglass and the founding of the NAACP. Integrationists are characterized by their optimism and faith in American principles...