Final answer:
Billy Graham was knighted in 2001 by the British ambassador on behalf of the queen. He was a significant Christian evangelist, distinct from other civil rights figures mentioned like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, who were not knighted but contributed greatly to social justice in America.
Step-by-step explanation:
The evangelist who was knighted in 2001 by the British ambassador on behalf of the queen was Billy Graham. Billy Graham was one of the most influential evangelists of the 20th century, known for his global Christian crusades and reaching out to millions through radio, television, and the internet. Other prominent figures in civil rights and religion mentioned in the question, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Jesse Jackson, played significant roles in the American Civil Rights Movement, promoting social justice and equality but were not knighted.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolence and led pivotal events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On the other hand, Malcolm X, after joining the Nation of Islam, became a vocal minister advocating for black empowerment and self-determination. Though both sought social justice, they adopted different approaches to securing civil rights for Black people. Jesse Jackson continued in the tradition of civil rights activism and even ran for president.