Malcolm X And The American Revolution

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, once said "If you kill your enemies, they win." Though Trudeau could have phrased this concept much better and was referring to the war on terror, we can garner truths about civilized society from his words as well. The point is that when battling an enemy within a civilized society as opposed to in a war, one should not use violence. The highest form of moral courage is when a person uses it to fight through peace. For instance, a perfect example of this type of moral courage is Martin Luther King, Jr., with his peaceful marches and speeches. One person who exhibited moral courage but not in this form is Malcolm X, with his "by any means necessary" mantra. King's ideology shows the proper way to achieve

"Our objective is complete freedom, justice and equality by any means necessary." This quote by Malcolm X was a rally for people during the Civil Rights movement. Way before he could rally for freedom, Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry were rallying the people of America to stand up against the King of Britain. They both had strong argumentative points for what they believed in. Though they were two different writings, Thomas Paine in the Crisis No. 1 and Patrick Henry in his Speech To The Virginia Convention both had similar and different points.

The 1920’s, or the “Roaring Twenties”, was a time in American history described as the “Wild West”. Prohibition brought controversy and anarchy to the once civilized American society, with mobs and gangs at the peak of their power with leaders such as Al Capone supplying alcohol and guns to the public. This was also a time of heightened racial segregation, with boundaries being set such as only white bathrooms and schools. Malcolm (X) Little was born in this time period, on the 19th of May, 1925, in Northeast Omaha (The Humanities of Malcolm X). Growing up in humble surroundings, with the constant battle with segregation and hate, defined Malcolm as a person and as a leader. With racism growing, Malcolm was influenced by civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., who came to be the symbol of the Civil Rights Movement. Racism became infamous in the 50’s because of the rising popularity of a cult called the KKK, which was known to lynch and torture African-Americans, with no justice being brought upon the group (Malcolm X). All of this bigotry that surrounded Malcolm is what made him have such a passion to become an educated scholar in the ideas of racial segregation and hate. Though Malcolm X was a controversial figure in the eyes of the public, his influence on American society did not go unnoticed, as Times Magazine named Malcolm X

Confined between blank walls and chilling concrete floors, with nothing but Luke-warm, boxed mashed potatoes, and burly men to keep him company, Malcolm X created a neon image in the midst of darkness. Malcolm, lying on the gray and unsupportive cots of prison, began to understand the necessity of developing a literate persona. In doing so, he colored the walls with knowledge and a newly discovered vocabulary while continuing to be encompassed in the blankness of the walls engulfing his presence. After breaking down the barricades of illiteracy and captivity for himself, he raided the ignorance of those who were confining his African American brethren to their own state of ignorance and illiterate oblivion. Literacy

The mid 20th century in the United States of America. The toughest time for African Americans post slavery. Faced with segregation and other form of racism that were classified as a norm predominantly in the Southern part of the country. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, two men that contributed vastly to counter all forms of racism. Many supported MLK Jr. and Malcolm X. Both men had different methods which they planned on using to achieve their common goal but the question was who’s method was more efficient?

There are more people enslaved today than at any other time in human history (Slavery Facts). Slavery is a horrible form of oppression that people usually associate with racism, but in reality, slavery begins with treating people as less than human. In The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told to Alex Haley, the author explores racism and subhuman treatment of American blacks in the mid-twentieth century. He uses personal and historical anecdotes to appeal to the strong emotions surrounding issues of racism. Because of his experiences as a black child in America, Malcolm X is able to illustrate many hardships the reader can only imagine. Using an appeal to pathos to evoke sympathy and indignation, Malcolm X argues that a person’s humanity should trump all other traits because viewing people as less than human leads to racism and oppression.

Malcolm X’s piece is focused in a time where many African American’s did not receive a quality education, if any at all. While Malcolm is telling the readers about how an English writer from London asked him where he went to school and Malcolm replied “‘Books’”(X 643). Malcolm also tells how you will never see him “not studying something I feel might be able to help the black man…”(X 643). Malcolm’s article takes place in a time where black men and women were very limited as to what was available to them. In this time period, African Americans were fighting the problem of segregation. Since they were trying to overcome these problems, they needed strong intelligent leaders to help overcome these issues and move closer to the America they were wishing for. Malcolm used his time in prison to help build himself into a strong leader and help move his race closer to an equal America. Dana Stevens highlights the different plights of African Americans but focuses more on the issues that the working women had to overcome in that time period. Stevens communicates a scene from the movie that shows “white women of Jackson spar over social status, bridge clubs and charity fundraisers”(Stevens 776), and compares them to the town’s African American maids “who are bused in each morning from the poorer side of town,

The greater part of Malcolm's initial life was spent in and about Lansing, Michigan, where the family lived on a homestead. In spite of the fact that the Little family was poor, they were independent until Reverend Little's demise in 1931. After this, family solidarity started to break down: first Malcolm, who had turned into a control issue, was sent to live with another family in 1937; and soon thereafter, Mrs. Little endured an extreme mental meltdown and was sent to the state mental healing center. The other youngsters got to be dependents of the

Today we will take a look into the life and legacy of one of the most prominent and controversial leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement of the fifties and sixties: Malcolm X. We will discover how different historical perspectives viewed him as an agent of change, whether it be positive or negative. In stark contrast to the multitude of positive views of his actions and philosophy immediately before and after his assassination, we will also view sources that look into the more negative responses to the anti-white philosophy and segregationist views that defined most of his years of activism. Malcolm X’s life has generally been studied in stages; from his wild days of hard drugs and petty crime, to his prison transformation into a highly

Malcolm X was an icon “of unyielding black struggle and assertive selfhood” (Gates and Smith 534) for the new generation of Blacks.

Malcolm had a rough childhood due to the fact that he lived during the time of racism between African-Americans and Caucasians. Malcolm was treated a little different, because the color of his skin. Malcolm was lighter than his other siblings. Malcolm was treated badly by African-Americans, because they thought he was bi-racial. His farther also showed a difference between Malcolm and his siblings, because of his skin color. His mother treated the darker children better than Malcolm, because she had light colored skin like Malcolm. She would tell Malcolm to stand in the sun and get darker. His family had to moved several times, because of threats made by the Ku Klux Klan. Malcolm and his family were living in an all white neighborhood in Michigan, their house was burned down. Malcolm’s father shot at the Klansmen three times with a pistol. The firemen and policemen would not help the Little family, instead they stood on the curb and watched the house burn. His father was questioned by the police about the gun he had used to shoot at the Klansmen with. The police came into the Little’s house without asking looking for the pistol, but didn’t find it. His father had hid it in a pillow and sewed it up. Malcolm’s father had to ask friends for clothes to

The chronicle of the dynamic human rights activist Malcolm X’s life is one that begins and ends in tragedy. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, he gained national and international prominence for his work to achieve social justice for African-Americans and was perhaps the most controversial leader of the period. His autobiography provides numerous examples of the effect of racial prejudice on human behavior in various contexts. Malcolm X’s lifelong work spanned over four decades and pervaded America’s social, political, and economic forums until his assassination in 1965. At the time of his murder, his beliefs and ideologies were undergoing a great change. He was abandoning his radical and violence driven approach of his early years and was promoting unity and goodwill among all races. He was also advocating for self-determination from African-Americans, and called for them to take action to better their circumstances. In many respects, Malcolm X was largely misunderstood and unappreciated for his work to eradicate racism in the United States, however he was an influential force in ways that continue to manifest in today’s society.

Once crowned the ‘Angriest Black Man In America ‘, the legacy that is Malcolm X is often unclear and seems to be surrounded in confusion. Malcolm X is one of the twentieth century’s most debateable figures. During his life Malcolm X stood up and fought for many African Americans, preaching to them to stand up for their rights and fight against the injustices in which the American government had placed upon them. Although, Malcolm X has been criticized for his attitude and suggestions that at times may look a lot like extremism or radicalism, Malcom fought for the equality and respect denied to the black men and women of the United States by their white neighbours, his dedicated determination in raising the status for African Americans has inspired

While malcolm’s experience with racism was more direct and severe racism is still a major issue that undermines society today. Today systemic racism aimed to discourage many minority groups and particularly their youth from achieving is not to much different from Malcolm’s experience while in school. Racism current impacts American society in the numerous cases of police profiling and abusing minority groups in some cases in a very similar fashion that young Malcolm dealt with. Experiencing racism at such a young age played a significant role in Malcolm’s low self value. The idea of self value is one that impacts America today even more than back in Malcolm’s time. Not only does racism still play a factor in people’s low self value of themselves today’s media also plays a solid part. In society today the media’s portrayal of what it means to be successful or relevant has people dressing and acting outside of their natural character similar to young Malcolm’s conking of his hair. Jealousy much like racism is an aspect that has always been apart of American society. In many cases in todays society jealousy leads to destroyed relationships and in some can lead to extreme acts of violence similar to those that affected Malcolm X. The film Malcolm X goes over several negative aspects of American Society during the life of Malcolm X that can also be easily applied to many negative aspects of today’s