The American Dream: Malcolm X and Rugged D.

The American Dream is “a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (Adams, 1931). It is the guarantee that with hard work and passion anyone can achieve upward mobility regardless of their origin. Many Americans believe in this promise, hoping that one day their first circumstance will not dictate the outcome of the rest of their lives. However the American Dream can be elusive without any real he American Dream eludes The novel Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the

Malcolm X grew up in the Midwest during the 1930’s. His family moved to Michigan where is father was murdered sending his mother into a mental breakdown. When he finished his eighth grade at a foster home he moved to Boston with his half-sister Ella. At this point Malcolm became engulfed into the night life. He gets a job as a railway porter and moves to New York. It is there that he becomes a hustler and involves himself in illegal activities by Sammy and Shorty. When things get to dangerous in Harlem he moves back to Boston where he is arrested for burglary.

“In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate” said Toni Morrison. If so, is American Dream only for the White people? In a society where racial inequality was prevalent throughout the country, non white people, especially African Americans were treated severely. Such phenomenon, known as the social reproduction is closely examined by Jay Macleod in the book “Ain’t No Makin’ It”. Macleod closely examines two groups of working class teenagers in Massachusetts. One group, known as The Hallway Hangers, filled with white boys, and the Brothers, composed mainly of African American boys. By laying out multiple social theories and bringing in several sociologists’ theories, Macleod reveals his thoughts on why social reproduction occurs in the United States and why an American Dream is something that only few people could achieve. MacLeod shows that race, along with with class are directly proportional to people’s aspirations. If they belong in the lower class, they would automatically achieve less, no matter how hard they try. This means, working class children usually end up having working class jobs in the future. In order for people to get one step closer towards success, they must learn and develop their own cultural capital. One’s social background such as access to proper education determines one’s class within the society and has huge influence on one’s future life.

Malcolm X did not have an easy life growing up. After the loss of his father, a Baptist minister and a black nationalist, and the admittance of his mother to a mental institution at an early

Malcolm X was orphaned early in life. At the age of six his father was killed and it has been rumoured that white racists were responsible. Seven years later his mother passed away after which he lived in a series of foster homes.

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.

Malcolm X was born in Omaha on May 19, 1925 as Malcolm Little to Reverend Earl Little and Louise Little. Malcolm’s father was a Baptist minister and a committed organizer for Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) . Garvey believed that the black race should remain pure and return to the homeland (Africa) . Malcolm’s father’s involvement led to two of their houses being burned down by Ku Klux Klan members. At age six, Malcolm’s father was killed by Ku Klux Klan members. After, his father’s death his mother was soon pronounced paranoid and the kids were split up . At age twenty, Malcolm began serving six and a half years in prison for larceny. In prison, he read history, philosophy, religion, about the life of Gandhi, and Nat Turner. He also read the works of W.E.B. DuBois, Shakespeare, and Socrates. It was in prison that he found out about Islam through his brother who became a member of the Nation of Islam. Once released Malcolm joined the nation of Islam and became Malcolm X . Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam, took Malcolm under his wing. Soon, Malcolm worked to expand the black Islamic community and even became of the most important temple on the east coast, Temple No. 7 in Harlem . Later on, Malcolm had become very expressive about civil rights during his speeches and they were not often centered around religion. This angered Elijah Muhammad and caused them to drift. Malcolm soon left the Nation of Islam and created his own religious organization called the Muslim Mosque Inc. for his followers. This caused the Nation of Islam to become even more upset with Malcolm. Later more conflicts arose between the two groups. On February 21, 1965 Malcolm was assassinated by three Black Muslims before delivering a speech in Harlem .

Malcolm X, Born name Malcolm Little, was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. His mother was Louise Norton, which had eight children including Malcolm. His father’s name was Earl Little, who was a Baptist preacher and strong supporter of the Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Before Malcolm’s fourth birthday, the family was forced twice to relocate due to death threats from the white supremacist organization, Black Legion. Despite their efforts to get away from them in 1929, the Legion burned their home down to ashes. After two years, Earl was killed and found laying on the trolley tracks in the town. The police ruled these events as accidents, the Little family was sure that the Black Legion were the people responsible for killing their father and husband. After this, Louise was put into a mental institution because of her emotional breakdown years after the death of her husband.

Malcolm X was conceived Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm was the fourth of eight youngsters destined to Louise, a homemaker, and Earl Little, an evangelist who was likewise a dynamic individual from the nearby part of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and eager supporter of dark patriot pioneer Marcus Garvey. Because of Earl Little 's social liberties activism, the family confronted regular badgering from white supremacist gatherings, for example, the Ku Klux Klan and one of its fragment groups, the Black Legion. Truth be told, Malcolm X had his first experience

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).

Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Born into a large family, the family did not have a lot of money. So they moved to Milwaukee in 1926 and then to Lansing in 1928. Malcolm, growing up in a family with many brothers and sisters, lost his father at the young age of six after he was hit by a car. Malcolm would go on to live in

Malcolm X was born Omaha, Nebraska. His childhood is full of discrimination and racial violence. Malcolm’s family moves to Michigan where they still have to deal with racial tension.Malcolm's Father was murdered and his mother was put into a mental hospital. After living in a Michigan detention home and finishing the eighth grade, Malcolm moves to Boston to live with his half-sister Ella. In Boston, Malcolm quickly becomes involved in shady business. People thought he was a lot older than he actually was with him being involved with doing drugs, drinking, and dating an older white women named Sophia. Malcolm takes a job as a railway porter. He then moved to New York where he became a hustler. Malcolm’s tasks there include selling drugs, luring

Right from his childhood, Malcolm X, experienced racism. As a child brought up in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm experienced his father being nearly lynched and his home being burnt down by the Klansmen. Later, white supremacists killed his father and his mother was committed to a mental hospital. Despite his father being clearly

Malcolm X is unjustly viewed as notorious for the fear he caused White America. The controversy he caused was bigger than ever before, and most of his simple actions were skewed and twisted by the media. Malcolm X grew up persecuted by what was America and stayed persecuted as he fought against the systematic oppression that based the way the U.S treated African-Americans. Malcolm X (also known as Malcolm Little or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) was born May 19th 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was born to the parents Earl Little, and Louise Norton Little. Earl Little was a carpenter, but his reputation to the town came from him being a civil rights activist and outspoken member of the MGUNIA, or the Marcus Garvey Universal Negro Improvement Association. Earl followed closely with the beliefs and ideas of Marcus Garvey, who was a black separatist, which caused Earl to get death threats from racist organizations such as Black Legion and the Ku Klux Klan. Despite his efforts to elude the threats, in 1929, his enemies prevailed and burned their Lansing, Michigan home to the ground. Two years after, Earl’s body was found on the trolley tracks of Lansing. He died shortly after he was found. Even though the entire case strongly pointed to assassination, it was ruled an accident by police, and suicide by life insurance.

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little faced adversity early on as a young child with his father’s death and his family splitting up since he mother was mentally ill. Yet Malcolm’s