Research Paper On Malcolm X

Malcolm X believed in the theory of a “common enemy” . He deeply believed that in our world, regardless of what your race may be whether it was black , Asian , Indian, and whatever else that may fall in between or outside of those, that they all had a common enemy: which was the white man. And that's where the white man ever went that turmoil, greed, corruption followed

He emotionally appeal to his audience in a straight forward way. He made his black Americans feel like they are not American even though they were born in this country. Instead of approaching the issue like other civil rights leaders, he promotes the separation of the black and white populations. Malcolm X said I am not a Republican nor a Democrat, nor an American, and got sense enough to know it. I am one of the 22million black victims of the Democrats, one of the 22 million black vicctims of Americanism. And when I speak, I don’t speak as a Democrat, or a Republican *nor an American*. I speak as a victim of America’s so called democracy"(Malcolm X). Malcolm here is tryed to arouse his audience and make his audience angry.

Throughout history there are many great people who dedicated their life to the advancement of the African American race. Few of these people created as much controversy during the 1960’s then the man who would be known as Malcolm X. Unlike many of the civil rights leaders of the time who promoted non violence, Malcolm X believed in the use of aggressive tactics in his battle for equality.

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.

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.

     Being an African American in the United States during the civil rights movement was one of toughest times to live through. The African American felt as if they were treated as non-humans being sent to the United States as slaves, being deprived of their education, forced to live in separate segregated areas, and given the careers that were the lowest paying jobs. They also had no political rights or legal protection. After the North had fought for the African American population to gain freedom from slavery, they were abandoned and were forced to fight for themselves. The Blacks were then left with much ambivalence in regard on how they would go about achieving civil rights. During this time was

Malcolm X was a public leader during the time of the civil rights movement. Malcolm was a public voice of the Black Muslim faith, he challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the non-violent pursuit lead by Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm wanted followers to defend themselves against the white aggression and he said to “by any means necessary”. He was born with the name Malcolm Little, and he changed his last name to X to show his rejection of his “slave” name. Malcolm became an influential leader of the Nation of Islam, which combined Islam with black nationalism which was placed to encourage young blacks to fight for equal rights. Malcolm was a determined leader and he was willing to take any means necessary to achieve equal rights for black Americans, but unlike King’s peaceful approach Malcolm wanted to take a violent approach and without King he may have been the head of the movement causing black Americans to all take a violent approach. A violent approach may not have worked well and would

Words like those above would engrave Malcolm X into the minds of Americans from all racial backgrounds and socio-economic classes. Malcolm X was certainly not one to mince words. America would come to remember him as “The Hate That Hate Produced”, the title of a 1959 CBS documentary narrated by Mike Wallace which focused on Malcolm’s involvement in what was perceived as the “rise of black racism” (Lord, Thornton, and Bodipo-Memba, 1992).

        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

There is no undermining that his beliefs could be considered radical, but at the same time there was no one who wanted to express what X was claiming. The majority of blacks did not feel the power to believe that they deserved more than what was left for them to survive off. To speak about civil rights, no one was as willing compared to X to talk about how blacks were living only to “survive.” Health and Medical Statistics from the 1940-1960 time frame exactly prove this as life expectancies at birth were at least ten years more on average for whites, when compared to blacks throughout the listed years. Therefore, think again how extreme were Malcolm X’s beliefs when he exclaimed that, “You have been cut off by the devil white man from all true knowledge of your own land” (Autobiography of X, 1965). Not only does it take confidence and pride to denounce the Anglo-Saxon race in a time where blacks are officially second-class people, but it takes a real leader. This is not to say that MLK JR has not once in his lifetime ever let out a negative opinion on white people, but he surely has not done so in such a manner as Malcolm X. It is not that MLK JR philosophy did not have an emphasis of how there is an urgency for change to take place in America, but it was more than anything the lack of a redemption factor. Malcolm X knew all his life what it was like to

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.

I. Malcolm X opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, publicly calling for black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration as effective means of combating racism.

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.

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

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were leaders with many followers during the 1960’s Civil Rights movement. They were both ministers that had many people already following them and their number of followers only grew with their ideas and beliefs. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had many great ideas on how America should be.While they both led their followers down the path to civil rights they both met their end by the hands of the people who did not want them to continue to make a difference the way they were for African Americans in America. Although Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X both made real changes regarding civil rights, they did not always agree on how to go about seeking out a