Malcolm X Research Paper

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.

When Malcolm X refers to freedom in the final sentence, he is referring to being at liberty. He is saying that he is no longer constrained by his lack of education and his inability to read. Malcolm X carefully studied the dictionary to solve the problem of his own illiteracy. Having risen from a world of thieving, pimping, and drug pushing to become one of the most articulate African Americans. What an enormous frustration he must have felt writing numerous letters that fell on deaf ears. Knowing that he had something to say but not being able to convey it in letters. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, thirty-two million adults in the U.S. cannot read. That is fourteen percent of the Population. These numbers are astonishing! Furthermore, nineteen percent of high school graduates cannot read. There are many benefits that come with being able to read and write. Some of these include economic security, access to health care, and the ability to actively participate in public life. Malcolm X went behind bars partially because of negative educational opportunities. He ends up finding freedom when he learns of the connections between culture and education that society has denied him. He did this by copying and studying the pages of the dictionary, page by page. He would also stay up at night reading, and was careful to make sure that the guards at the prison did

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

The history of the United States has in it much separation or segregation due to race. For a long time our country has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon and forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this, races, particularly African-Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations that support change. Malcolm X is one strong example of an African American man who became apart of a group acted against it, uniting people to promote the advancement of colored people and change. Malcolm's thoughts towards race and civil right in the previous years were displayed in a less

     Malcom X was a man known widely for his strong beliefs. His willingness to accept the preaching of Elijah Muhammad and serve him loyaly, was due to his past experiences with the white man. Starting off as a boy in Lansing, next moving to Boston, then living in Harlem, his experinces with various white people shaped his belief system. Towards the end of his life, his interaction with group of very different white people on his pilgrimage brought about a change in his beliefs

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's life is a Horatio Alger story with a twist. His is not a "rags to

About 93 years ago one of America's greatest activist of their time was born with a destiny that would change the course of history. Just as the famous Martin Luther King Jr. he had a dream and he would stop at nothing to make sure it came true. Malcolm X, also known as Malcolm little was born May 19th of 1925 to Luise and Earl Little. Malcolm Little became Malcolm X after being arrested for robbery in the year 1946. He committed robberies to help support his siblings and help his mother. Malcolm X was the 4th of 8 children. He had a very rough childhood. Malcolm's family was constantly given a hard time particularly his father. After analyzing the arguments

He was son to Earl Little, a Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black nationalism. Earl’s civil rights activism led to death threats from the Black Legion, a White supremacist organization similar to the Klu Klux Klan. After this, Little was forced to relocate twice for the safety of his family. Regardless of Little’s efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929 their Michigan home in Lansing, was burnt to the ground by another White supremacist group. Around two years later Earl’s mutilated body was found lying across the town’s trolley tracks. Police ruled the incident as suicide despite the fact that he was most probably murdered by the Black Legion. This, therefore invalidated his life insurance and made the Little family significantly poorer than before. Several years after the death of her husband, Louise had an emotional breakdown and was sent to a mental institution, leaving her children behind. All ten children were split up amongst several foster homes and orphanages.

Malcolm Little popularly known as Malcolm X was a former member of the Nation of Islam religious group, known for his outspoken views on segregation and his human rights activism. On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was shot to death in the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by radical members of his former group, the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was killed due to many peoples dislike of his, at the time, radical opinions; and his, as many members perceived it, betrayal of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X had quit the Nation of Islam lead by Elijah Muhammad, and “had accused Muhammad of infidelity and left the Nation in March 1964” (Drash).

May 3rd- over the past couple of days I have looked at many websites on Malcolm X and I have learned through the website biography.com on Malcolm X that he had a very tough upbringing and childhood and also encountered many events of racism shown towards him and his family. I believe that this is what caused Malcolm to begin his journey into becoming a minister, human rights activist and a prominent black nationalist leader. Some events of racism shown towards Malcolm X was his house being burned down by a racist mob and the towns emergency responders refused to help Malcolm and his family and watched it burned down. Another racist event shown towards Malcolm was that he was told he couldn’t be a lawyer in school and that he should be a carpenter. This made him drop out of school at the age of 15 and move to Boston.

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

sister in hopes of getting him on the right track, that he started to see

The 1950's and 1960's were a time of racial turmoil throughout most of the United States. Segregation between blacks and whites was still in full effect, African Americans had to drink from different water fountains, eat at different restaurants, and even shop at different stores than their Anglo "neighbors". Many people and organizations fought valiantly for equality in the U.S. such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King jr. and the NAACP. The roles they played were critical in the civil rights movement were critical, the actions they took included peaceful demonstrations and marches, public speeches, and boycotts such as the one that took place in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. One man stands out among all of these leaders though, Malcolm X.

Growing up, every year we would learn something about Martin Luther King Jr. He was a great man, who accomplished great things etc. But just occasionally you would catch a brief mention of another name. He was an activist like Dr. King, but different. Radical. Dangerous. Alex Haley told his story to millions who had never heard it before. His name was Malcolm X.