Malcolm X Research Paper

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

He then got caught as a burglar and was put in prison. As in many aspects of his life, the book gave more details of Malcolm’s life inside the steel bars. Since no one was in jail with him that was interviewed in the film, we could not get a good presentation of others’ views of his experiences in jail. While in prison, Malcolm hears about the Nation of Islam through his family. The leader of the group, Elijah Mohammed had a central idea that all white men were devils. In learning this, Malcolm thought back to all of the white people he had previously encountered. It is easier for us to understand Malcolm’s thought process after reading the book, since the film did not tell us of all of his relationships with white people. Malcolm then converted to Islam.

X was also an inspiring speaker such as the likes of King Jr. Except he would fight using violent methods if necessary, “by any means necessary”, unlike King. If the American authorities did not want to deal with the peaceful protests of King then Malcolm X would be the second option. However, after leaving the Nation of Islam Malcolm X’s attitude changed to that of non-violent protest for integration. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 by members of the Nation of Islam.

Instead of going to school to get a traditional education, he dropped out of school at fifteen and learned the ways of the streets. Malcolm associated himself with thugs, thieves, dope dealers, and pimps. He was convicted of burglary at age twenty and remained in prison until he was twenty-seven. During his prison sentence, he became a changed man. He educated himself and he learned about and joined the Nation of Islam, studying the teachings of Elijah Muhammed. Elijah taught Malcolm how history had been “whitened by the white man” (p.184) and he echoed “the black convict’s lifelong experience” where “the white man is the devil,” (p. 186). This thought process encouraged many black inmates to discover the Nation of Islam.

“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)

There he got to be known as an eloquent representative for the radical Black point of view. Denouncing the peacefulness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm held intolerant views of white people. A comment he made about Kennedy's death gave Muhammad a chance to oust Malcolm from the development's progressive system, for he had been at odds with Muhammad for quite a while. Malcolm had secretly condemned Muhammad's greed and was stunned by rumors of Muhammad enticing women and genetically fathering their

Malcolm X was a major spokesperson for Black Muslims. When he was 21, he met an influential spokesperson for the Nation of Islam named Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm and Elijah Muhammed shared the same interest that “white men are the devil with whom blacks cannot live.”(History.com

Between the dates May 19, 1925 to February 21, 1965 Malcolm was able to play these different roles such as a minister, human rights activists, and a prominent black nationalist leader who played as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and the 1960s. When he was set free from prison Nation of Islam members increased 400 members in 1952 to 40,000 members by 1960. When Malcolm was still a kid, his dad was slain from the Klan- like Black Legionaries. They say he committed suicide from the damages of a crushed head on one side and almost severed from his body. During this time, the siblings of Malcolm such as his mother was all separated at this time. During while this was happening, Malcolm was already six and was taken and placed into a foster home.

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.

Have you ever wanted to know who was one of the greatest leaders of time that fought for slavery? Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965 by a radical member of the Nation of Islam named Talmadge X Hayer. He entered the Audubon Ballroom armed and then killed Malcolm X as he was giving his speech, which would have made this his last one. Talmadge X Hagan thought that Malcolm X was going to destroy the Nation of Islam after he had left, so he then decided to kill Malcolm X. The assassination of Malcolm X left a huge impact on the black community. Malcolm X’s assassination was unjust because he was part of the Nation of Islam and he was a human rights activist; however some people believed his actions were the cause of many people dying.

Malcolm was arrested on January 12, 1946, and convicted of burglary, carrying an illegal firearm, and larceny (Crime and Investigation 1). He was sent to Charlestown State Prison for 8-10 years. While there, he joined the Nation of Islam. He began exchanging letters frequently with Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam’s leader, and changed his name to Malcolm X. He stated the “X” symbolized his lost tribal name, and that he was destroying the surname “Little” that his ancestor’s slave-owners had imposed on his family.

Malcolm received death threats and open violence towards him. An NOI temple leader ordered the bombing of his car. Elijah Muhammad told a minister that "hypocrites like Malcolm should have their heads cut off" (PBS). His house was set fire once, but nobody was harmed. Malcolm X was assassinated by a gunshot to the chest on February 21, 1965 while speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York. Three members of the NOI were convicted in his murder. His ideas were immortalized in his autobiography, Autobiography of Malcolm X (Altman, 199). Malcolm X left an everlasting impact in the fight for racial equality. Some of his ideas were radical, but he was able to gain support and followers due to his fundamental thoughts being intelligent and beneficial to black Americans. Simple thoughts such as shifting people from referring to African-Americans as “colored” and larger ideas such as movements to end police brutality are Malcolm X’s legacy. The Black Lives Matter movement credits Malcolm X as a person who endlessly fought for civil rights. Countless activists today quote Malcolm X’s profound words as inspiration and continue his lessons today. Malcolm X was definitely not a typical civil rights activist, but that is what made him even more

Both Gandhi and Malcolm X were murdered due to their religious affiliations and beliefs, albeit for slightly different reasons and in different ways. After one failed attempt, Gandhi was shot three times by his assassin, Nathuram Godse. Godse was a Hindu who was connected to the extremist Hindu Mahasabha group that had condemned Gandhi for his nonviolence principles and for favoring the formation of Pakistan. There is evidence that supports that Godse was acting on behalf of his leader and group. Malcolm X was also targeted and killed by a religious group, the Nation of Islam. However, this was a group he had once been a popular minister of. What drove him away from it was when he learned of the leader’s, Elijah Muhammad, shortcomings and hypocrisy. Their relationship quickly deteriorated from that point and he soon resigned his position. After renouncing Muhammad, he was marked for assassination and several attempts were made on his life. It wasn’t long before his enemies were successful. Malcolm X was charged on stage by

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

Malcolm X a Black Nationalist leader was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska served as a spokesmen for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and 1960s.It is said by historians that he was the one of the reasons that the nation of Islam went form 400 members to 40,000 members from 1952 to 1960’s and continued to grow well into the 1980s and into the 21st century. This was due to the fact that he gave very articulate and passionate speeches that would lead to bigger and bigger audiences. He told blacks to end racism "by any means necessary" which included violence. Malcolm X little grew up with a life of violence, growing up in rural white Nebraska Malcom X was the middle child of 8 having a mother who was a homemaker and a father who was a preacher. Because of his family being black he and his family were often harassed by white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the black legion. After an attack on the little household by the Ku Klux Klan that resulted in the all the houses windows smashed. Which caused the family to move to East Lansing, Michigan which was worse than Nebraska and ended with his father dead after 2 years of moving in 1931 with his death being ruled a suicide. Malcom’s mother never accepted his death and was sent to a mental institution in 1937 and left Malcom X with family of friends. After dropping out of school at 15