There have been many great leaders in American history. Some have been noble fighters, and others have been extraordinary thinkers. However, the one characteristic all leaders had in common was their pursuit to change a problem in America. Strong leaders had the ability to make drastic changes in history. For example, if it were not for the leadership in the Revolutionary War, America might still be under British Control. If it were not for the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, there still might be slavery today. However, what strives had the African-American taken in changing their situation in America? What was the answer for a great deal of their problems? Since leaders have had the ability to impact the nation in countless ways, could this be a solution to African-American problems and issues? In fact, this was a solution to the tribulations of African-American people according to many influential African-American leaders. African-Americans needed to take action by incorporating new leadership towards their betterment, shown through the writings of Du Bois, West, and King.

W.E.B. Du Bois wrote “The Position in the American Social Order: Where Do

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” written in 1961, revealed King’s position in using leadership to solve African-American based problems. Although King’s views were a little different than West or Du Bois, he still agreed that the use of leadership was the answer. However, instead of waiting for that answer to emerge, he became that leader. King wrote, “For years I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied’” (King 193). This was King’s way of telling everyone that he was not going to just sit around and watch his people be lynched, beaten, and treated less than human. He felt that if not him them who, and if not now than when. King decided to take action with his non-violent campaign. Leading the marches and sit-ins, King was able to make great strides in the quest for equality. This idea of leadership was different than West’s and Du Bois’ by the simple fact that it was in first person and not third person. King thought of himself when he thought of a leader, which is a first person point of view. When West and Du Bois thought of a leader, they envisioned someone else taking that role. Even though West and Du Bois were leaders themselves, they did not have the impact on America as they had imagined a leader would have. They pictured a greater change than they had created.

Cornel West has been a very prestigious professor at Harvard University. Many people have revered his opinions on many different subject matters. In reality, West could be, and was, considered a leader himself. In his passage, “Learning to Talk of Race,” written in 1992, West ended

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