Malcolm X

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Malcolm X

Malcolm X, a civil rights leader in the 1960's believed that blacks and whites should be segregated. He also believed that white man was evil and were trying to brainwash all blacks and that Martin Luther King's "non-violent protests" weren't working and that violence was needed for change.

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.

While Malcolm's father was away and Malcolm's mother was pregnant with Malcolm, a group of KKK members came to their house and told Mrs. Little to send out her husband. She came out of the house and stood where all the KKK could see that she was pregnant and told them that Mr. Little was in Milwaukee preaching. The KKK, disappointed, shouted threats and told them to leave town. After this they broke every window in the Little's home and left. When Mr. Little came home and heard what happened, he decided to move as soon a Malcolm was born to Lansing, Michigan. Here was where Malcolm's father died at the hand of the Black Legion (X 4-! 13). After Malcolm's father's death, his mother who had to take care of eight children and endure threats from the KKK, suffered a nervous breakdown. As a result, Malcolm and his siblings were taken by the welfare department.

Malcolm was later enrolled in a reform school and did very well grade wise. He was the best student in his class and wanted to become a lawyer. When the school heads heard about this, they sent a person to talk to Malcolm. This person told and convinced Malcolm that he was black and that he could never become a lawyer because of it. As a

result, he dropped out of after the eighth grade and moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he worked several different jobs. Soon, Malcolm became associated in a gang and sold and used drugs, and was involved in many other criminal activities. His gang "career" ended when he got into some trouble due to a bet with the gang leader.

Since the gang wanted Malcolm killed, Malcolm hid for a while. Soon, Malcolm decid!

ed to rob a house which he heard had a lot of valuables in it. Soon one night, he robbed the house, but was ca...

... middle of paper ...

...e didn't believe the peaceful protests worked. Malcolm believed that violence was the only way through which change would take place. Finally, Malcolm disagreed with Mr. King in the fact that Malcolm wanted to segregate blacks and whites and create a

separate place for the blacks to live in while Mr. King wanted to end segregation and have blacks and whites live peacefully.

My opinions toward Malcolm X's beliefs are that I disagree with most of what he said. I believe that what he taught was teaching hatred. I also believe that he set the civil rights movement back because he "un-did" everything Mr. King stood for and did. I also disagree with his idea of usage of violence because I don't believe it solves or is the

answer to anything. Finally, I believe his ideas towards white men being "devils" and "evil" seem to be unjustified. I say unjustified because many white men tried to join both the OAAU and the Nation of Islam, were denied. My logic is that if the white men were evil, why would they try to join them and help them? Although I disagree with

most of Malcolm's X's beliefs, I do agree that all Blacks should join and become unified, because in unity, there is power.

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