Malcolm X Essay

Despite both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. actively fighting for freedom and equality during the Civil Rights Movement, both men are not remembered equally. Undeniably, their approaches were different and this resulted in varying outcomes regarding their successes. Indirect action seemed ineffective to Malcolm and he desired changed immediately, which may seem like the most effective route to change, yet Martin Luther King Jr. is famously known for his success achieving freedom. Malcolm X focused on direct action and standing up for the black community while Dr. King wanted to negotiate and was willing to wait for his equality which ultimately allowed him more widespread success.

Who is Malcolm X? Answers tend to vary by person but in the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”, it really delved into the pivotal details of his life and readers like myself, went on an enthralling metaphorical journey to see the intriguing development of him as a child, a young adult, a convict, a follower, and ultimately a leader. For starters, Malcolm X was not born with the infamous and famous X. His birth name was Malcolm Little and the innocent Malcolm Little was very belittled (pun intended) in majority of his social environments. At a young age, he experiences the pain of losing his father. In retrospect, his father was just a dust in the wind. Malcolm’s dad was like many other socially active black males, who became inevitable victims that usually were murdered, lynched, burned, etc by the white men in their area. Now, to lose one parent is already tough for many individuals but Malcolm was only to be hammered with more bad news. His mother was sent away by government workers to a mental institution because his house was deemed “unstable” (this kind of stuff happened daily to many black families in similar housing situations like Malcolm was in). But Malcolm directed his energy elsewhere. He ends up taking initiative in school and whilst excelling, he ended up loving many aspects of education in America (or so he thought). He climbed his way to become first in rank in his class and even became class president but his dreams was simply crushed by many individuals. One of

Biography of Malcolm X On May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm Little was born to Reverend Earl and Louise Little. Rev. Little, who believed in self-determination and worked for the unity of black people. Malcolm was raised in a background of ethnic awareness and dignity, but violence was sparked by white racists trying to stop black people such as Rev. Little from preaching the black cause.

My first and main reason Malcolm X had the better philosophy was that he was a realist. He was a realist since he perceived the present how it was. He knew that if blacks wanted to succeed in gaining their rights, they’d need to acquire them by any means necessary, even violence , which can be found in doc k . He also knew that both sides needed to be taught the same

“We're not Americans. We're Africans who happen to be in America. We were kidnapped and brought here against our will from Africa. We didn't land on Plymouth Rock--that rock landed on us.” (Lord, Thornton, and Bodipo-Memba, 1992)

He said, “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts a hand on you, send him to the cemetery…if we react to white racism with a violent reaction, to me that’s no black racism. If you come to put a rope around my neck and I hang you for it, to me that’s not racism. Yours is racism, but my reaction has nothing to do with racism.”Malcolm was critical of the non-violent tactics, supporting the right of self-defence. He said, “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts a hand on you, send him to the cemetery…if we react to white racism with a violent reaction, to me that’s no black racism. If you come to put a rope around my neck and I hang you for it, to me that’s not racism. Yours is racism, but my reaction has nothing to do with racism.” (Hamilton). This is exactly what Malcolm X believed in. Malcolm wasn’t like other civil rights activist Malcolm had a “By any means” approach to racism, he would use self defense if he had to. Malcolm took a stand for all African Americans and fought for civil rights equality by leading huge rallies and preaching about what he wanted most which was equality. Malcolm got his point across and was well respected, he was fortunate enough to have a successful movement that lasted until February 21, 1965 due to Malcolm being gunned down. “As Malcolm X led a mass rally in Harlem on February 21, 1965, rival black muslims gunned him down”(www.biography.com) .”...Malcolm X—realised after his suspension from the Nation of Islam—as it created jealously and rivalry within the organisation”(www.historynewsnetwork.org). This caused Malcolm X to be gunned down and later pronounced

        People often refer to Malcolm’s use of terms such as the “white devil” and his overall tone as a reason for him not being the visionary that Martin Luther King was. Martin Luther King is known for teaching in a very non-violent manner in which he avoided labeling others (Litwack, pg 8). Martin Luther King certainly deserves admiration for the manner in which he got things accomplished but that shouldn’t warrant any discredit aimed at Malcolm X. Malcolm uses a very aggressive tone because he wanted to get a reaction from his audience. For Malcolm, It was absolutely imperitive that his audience realize the severity and consequences of this election year. He uses this insistent tone when he

Malcolm X made more of an impact on the Civil Rights Movement than Martin Luther King JR. Malcolm X lived through extreme hardship and poverty leading to a life of crime; prison eventually altered his whole perspective about his role in society. Unlike MLK JR, whose purpose was predetermined in a household with strict boundaries and Christian love. Most notably, it was his excellency as a scholar that gave MLK JR his signature; being that at only 15 years of age he enrolled into Morehouse College. However, it was Malcolm X with the intelligence of peace through the Nation of Islam and spirituality of Black Nationalism, these components made him the one who is best to philosophize accurately about removing blacks from oppression in the USA.

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

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’s extreme views and takes on the solutions to racism were seen increasingly in the civil rights movement. If not for his assassination, he would have become a major competitor to Martin King’s way of protest. Although many negative actions were performed because of him, his influence was not all negative. He made the whites take him and his supporters seriously. If not for him, it is possible that King would not have been taken seriously either. He condemned the march on Washington - calling it, in his own autobiography, “the farce on Washington.” Because of Malcolm, hundreds, if not thousands of blacks did not march that day. Even though today many consider that a bad thing, he thought that the march demeaned and unempowered people of African-American descent.

The history of the world has had its encounters with separation and segregation when it comes to race. For a long time the world has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon or forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this situation, races, in particularly African Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations and support change. Malcolm X is an example of an African American man who fell into this type of hate and acted against it. Malcolm X united people to promote the advancement of African Americans and change when it comes to his own race.

Malcolm was one of the most opinionated people of this century. Malcolm's dad was a Baptist preacher he was

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.

“Brothers! Brothers, please! This is a house of peace!” These were Malcolm X’s last words before he was assassinated. His childhood was a stressful start and his life ended in a tragedy. Malcolm Little was destined to become great, inspirational, a leader. He was a very smart kid, inspired others to be like him. Most will probably remember him as a threat, a criminal, and an outlaw; but when you observe the bright side of his life, his greatness tends to shine. Even though Malcolm X had a very difficult childhood, he deeply contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.