Malcolm X
Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Andrew Goodman. These people are well known for their positive role in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, but what about the familiar name Malcolm X? He is sometimes shamed for the ways he went about trying to fix the way African Americans were being treated because he did so in a violent fashion instead of peacefully, but many people do not know the full story of Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a very important civil rights leader.
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little to Earl and Louise Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska (Global). He grew up with 9 siblings. Malcolm Little’s family had many struggles when he was a kid. His father had had three of his brothers killed by the KKK already,
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The Nation of Islam had about 400 members when Malcolm X joined them in 1952. By 1960, because of how influential Malcolm X had been to the African American community, the group had about 40,000 members (Letter). One of these new members was Cassius Clay, who then changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Malcolm X befriended him and ministered him as he converted to Islam. He reached out to the African American community to use violence to get their rights that they deserved. One of his most famous quotes was when he said, “You don’t have a peaceful revolution. You don’t have a turn the cheek revolution. There’s no such thing as a violent revolution” (Malcolm). Malcolm X looked at rights for black people as a revolution rather than as just a movement. This really caused him to have many followers, but also many critics. The most notable of these critics was Martin Luther King Jr. who said that Malcolm X was only a “potentially great leader”(Global). Malcolm X was able to get so many people to join his cause, but he was doing it in the wrong way. He was using violence to get rights for blacks instead of trying to use non-violent methods to develop change. Malcolm X thought that this was the only option at the time, but he was not correct. Martin Luther King Jr. had been successfully using nonviolent protests to promote major change in black rights for the better in the same time period as
Although Malcolm words often stung with the injustices against blacks in America, the equally racist views of the Nation of Islam kept him from accepting any whites as sincere or capable of helping the situation. For twelve years he preached that the white man was the devil and the "Honourable Elijah Muhammad" was God's messenger. Unfortunately, most images of Malcolm today focus on this period of his life, although the transformation he was about to undergo would give him a completely different, and more important, message for the American people. The Change to True Islam
Malcolm X was also a very great leader during the Civil Rights era. His Islamic religion helped influence how he led those who followed his teachings. He was motivated by anger that was created from white men in the past. When he was younger, his mother was threatened to move out of town because his father’s sermons were starting to cause an up roar in the community between blacks and whites. The leadership Malcolm X brought to the community was rejuvenated energy that gave young black men and women the hope to rise above the
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to Earl and Louise Little. His father, a minister and devout Christian, was known for being an outspoken follower of the black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Garvey’s message promoted the “back-to-Africa” movement that encouraged African Americans of the time to sever ties with
During the Civil Rights Movement, there was a famous leader whose protests were peaceful and non-violent. That man was Martian Luther King Jr., but many people have never heard of another Civil Rights leader. Even though his protests were different than King’s protests, he did his part and help with equality. This man was Malcolm Little, more famously known as Malcolm X. After a rough upbringing, Malcolm X led protests that differed which ended with his assassination.
Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.
Malcolm X is seen as quite a controversial person. His admirers see him as a courageous human rights activist who campaigned for the rights of African Americans and showed white America how racist it was. His enemies see him as a racist, anti-Semitic and violent person.
Unlike King, Malcolm X encouraged his followers to rebel against whites. Malcolm X, for the most part, believed that non-violence and integration was a trick by the whites to keep African Americans oppressed. “Don’t you run around here trying to make friends with somebody who’s depriving you of your rights” (X 1964). He was furious at white racism and encouraged his followers through his speeches to rise up and protest against their white enemies. “They’re not your friends, no, they are your enemy. Treat them like that and fight them”(X 1964). He encouraged African Americans to stand up against the white America that oppressed them.
Three of the men arrested were later identified as members of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X had a profound influence on both blacks and whites. Many blacks responded to a feeling that he was a man of the people, experienced in the ways of the street rather than the pulpit or the college
Malcolm X is an extremely critical figure that contributed in shaping American social life. He was a famous man who articulated the struggle, anger, and beliefs of African Americans. He was a radical man who fought for change despite the situation. His struggle for equality for the black nation landed him in prison. While in prison, Malcolm was able to study, and earned a college degree. However, most importantly while in prison, Malcolm X was introduced to the Islam faith by one of the prisoners. He received teachings from the Muslim faith, which made him realize that, his people were being oppressed and abused by the whites. While out of prison, he went to visit honorable Elijah Muhammad and later on went around preaching Elijah
Malcolm x was a civil rights activist who fought mostly for the rights of African Americans. Before he went solo he was a member of the Nation of Islam. The leader of the NOI was Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm x was recruited while he was in prison he was learning about it and decided what he wanted to do for his life. Malcolm x was assassinated by black muslim rivals when Malcolm stopped supporting Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm x’s assassination was unjust because he was a civil rights activist and he was a leader of the NOI although others believe he was a criminal.
Lansing did not hold many opportunities of any kind for a young black man then, so without a particular plan, Malcolm X went to live with his half-sister, Ella, in Boston. Malcolm X looked, and almost immediately found trouble. He fell in with a group of gamblers and thieves, and began shining shoes at the Roseland State Ballroom. There he learned the trades that would eventually take him to jail dealing in bootleg liquor and illegal drugs. Malcolm X characterized his life then as one completely lacking in self-respect. Many journalists would emphasize Malcolm X’s “shady” past when describing the older man, his clean-cut lifestyle, and the aims of the Nation of Islam. In some cases, these references were an attempt to damage Malcolm X’s credibility, but economically disadvantaged people have found his early years to be a point of commonality, and Malcolm X himself was proud of how far he had come. He spared no detail of his youth in his autobiography, and used his Nation of Islam ideas to interpret them. Dancing, drinking, and even his hair style were represented by Malcolm X to be marks of shame and self-hatred. Relaxed hair in particular was an anathema to Malcolm X for the rest of his life; he described his first “conk” in the autobiography this way: “This was my first really big step toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain of the hair-straightening chemicals, literally burning my flesh to have it
Malcolm X was a muslim, black man who cared very much about gaining equal rights. He was, in a way, an extremist. Though only taking action when he felt necessary, when he did take action, it often had drastic effects on the people and events occurring around him. Unlike Martin Luther King or other leading civil rights activists, he did not believe in peaceful protest. He believed in “whatever means necessary” to accomplish his goals. Because of his strong efforts and his unmatched determination, Malcolm X, formally known as Malcolm Little, changed the course of the civil rights movement. If not for him, the events that played out to cause the eventual conclusion of the struggle would have been forever altered.
There have been many people throughout United States History who have greatly influenced the nation, including Malcolm X. Malcolm X both positively and negatively affected American society. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history, while being a tremendous public speaker and human rights activist, specifically advocating for the rights of African Americans. However, numerous individuals view him as controversial figure due to the widespread portrayal of Malcolm X as a violent and racist character often considered to be the opposite of Martin Luther King, Jr. Overall, it is clear that Malcolm X is one of the most significant people in United States history because of his various positive
Malcolm X first in incident with racism happened at an early age, his house was broken into by Ku Klux Klan members. Who were looking for his father Earl Little because he works for the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), that supports black Americans returning to Africa. Malcolm would occasionally attending the UNIA meetings with his father learning that life is stacked against blacks. Throughout his life Malcolm goes through four transformations from the streets, jail, muslim and trip to mecca.
“ No, I’m not an American. I’m one of the 22 million people who are victims of Americanism, one if the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So, I’m not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or flag-saluter, or a flag waver. No, not I. I am speaking to you as a victim of the American system. And I see America through the eyes of a victim. I don’t see any American dream. I see an American nightmare!