As an African American man and leader in the civil rights movement, minister and supporter of Black nationalism, he urged his fellow Black Americans to protect themselves against white aggression “by any means necessary,” a stance that often put him at odds with the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. His speech, The Ballot or the Bullet, is directed at African Americans and encourages them to stand up for their rights and vote. He then goes on to state that if this is not enough they may have to resort to violence. He uses rhetoric early on in an attempt to unite all African Americans.
