Malcolm X Thesis

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.

Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Both of his parents were proclaimed pan africanist and followers of black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. There were also very active in the Universal Negro Improvement Association. When Malcolm was 6 years old, his father was killed by members of a white supremacist group called the Black Legion, mainly because of him involvement with UNIA and his commitment to pan-africanism and the advancement of colored people, which was highly frowned upon during that time. When he was 13 years old, his mother was admitted into a mental health facility after suffering a nervous breakdown. Consequently, Malcolm and his 10 siblings were separated and sent to various foster homes.

He started thinking about the world and the society he lives in. He began to question the way things were, and he realized that a change in his life, and in the society was both possible and necessary. Prior to his imprisonment, Malcolm had been enclosed in the world of the hustler, the player, the pimp, the gangster, the parasite, and he couldn¹t imagine him outside of that world. “Reading exposed Malcolm to new worlds; it allowed him to see that there were alternatives to the lifestyle and values of the social parasite” (Shanna). While in prison, Malcolm began to think, and to read. but only after he had been encouraged to do so by someone that he respected and who had taken an unselfish interest in him. “Malcolm was later motivated by a new sense of self-worth and identity and purpose, as his family introduced him to the religious and political philosophy of Islam, as taught by Elijah Muhammad, and practiced by the Nation of Islam (NOI)” (Estate of Malcolm X). Malcolm X converted to the Nation of Islam while in prison, and upon his release in 1952 he abandoned his surname "Little," which he considered a relic of slavery, in favor of the surname "X" a tribute to the unknown name of his African ancestors.

During his seven-year incarceration, Malcolm self-educated and converted to Islam. He joined the religious organization Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad. By the time he was paroled, Malcolm was a dedicated follower and had legally changed his surname from “Little” to “X,” because he considered “Little” a ‘slave’ name (“About Malcolm X”). The changing of his name marked the beginning of a new era.

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

During his sentence he learned the importance of education. He thought himself the works of: history, politics, literature, reading and copying every word in the dictionary. While in incarcerated Malcolm family would write to him about a new movement in the outside world with the black community. He knew of Martin Luther King and his non violence approach but this group was different. They believed in violence and were under the leadership of a different man named Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad founded the Black Muslim group who followed by the Islamic faith. After doing his own research studying, practicing the religion and the continuous convincing by his family, Malcolm accepted the Islam faith. When he joined the Islamic faith he relinquished his last name Little to X because he felt that Little was a “slave name” and the X represented the absence of knowing his real last name (Pendergast).

Malcolm X's life was a life with a lot of conflict and violence in it. Malcolm X was born under the name of Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. His father was a baptist minister and an outspoken follower of Marcus Garvey, the black nationalist leader of the 1920s who preached that all blacks should leave the US and go back to Africa.

Now a self-educated man with a new purpose, he was released from prison in 1952 with a new name, Malcolm X, believing the name Little was forced upon him by white slave owners. He went to live with his brother Wilfred and discovered the life 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

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.

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.

Despite his dismal upbringing, Malcolm was able to graduate from his junior high school at the top of his class. He was aspiring to become a lawyer, but after one of his teachers told him that trying to be one was, "no realistic goal for a nigger", he decided that school was not for him and moved to Boston for awhile and made a living working a number of jobs, none of which were permanent. Eventually he would find himself working as a waiter at a restaurant called Small's Paradise in Harlem, New York. It was at this time that Malcolm Little began using and then selling drugs and even committing burglary. In 1946 he would be arrested for burglary and sentenced to ten years in prison. It was during his stay at the Charlestown, Mass. Prison that he would make maybe the most significant change of his life. Malcolm would begin studying the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of a small cult-like Islamic group that called themselves the Nation of Islam, he also began to study the Koran (the Islamic holy book). It was during these long years in prison that Malcolm was able to educate himself fully and came to the conclusion that he wanted to join Elijah and the Nation of Islam and fight for equality between blacks and whites.

Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcolm Little to parents Earl and Louise Little. The Littles moved to Lansing, Michigan when Malcolm was an infant due to threats the family received from the Klu Klux Klan. This was because Reverend Earl Little was an early follower of Marcus Garvey, who preached black independance and self-respect (Altman, 197). Reverend Little died when Malcolm was only six years old after being hit by a streetcar. Malcolm always believed that this was a hate crime committed by whites. Many speculate that this is what originally caused Malcolm to distrust whites. Malcolm’s mother, Louise Little, was committed to the State Mental Hospital in Kalamazoo in 1939. Her exact illness is unknown (Mamiya).

Not to mention, Malcolm X was very charismatic and the one to get his point across. Malcolm always made himself clear in his speeches regardless if it was offensive or not. He strived to be revolutionary, fight to win equality for all oppressed minorities. Malcolm X rose quickly in the NOI, becoming the minister of NOI’s Temple Seven in Harlem in June of 1954. Malcolm X simultaneously was becoming an accomplished journalist; he wrote for several publications before he founded the NOI's newspaper, Muhammad Speaks. Malcolm X’s new found fame also attracted the attention of the FBI, which soon began tapping his phone, concerned that some kind of racially based revolution was brewing. While the FBI was concerned, Malcolm X had a meeting with Fidel Castro; which only heightened the fears people had for a revolution.

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