Illuminating Time Periods
Throughout the years America has gone through many changes, those being both political and cultural. Although America has changed, it has only progressed towards a more equal and free society. Through the analyzing of the American periods of the 1910's and the 1960's, it can be concluded that America has evolved into one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. The Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith reveals the southern postwar discrimination against blacks and the actions of the Ku Klux Klan. The Autobiography of Malcolm X shows us the life of Malcolm Little and his transformation into the strong civil rights activist Malcolm X. The controversial film, The Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith, portrays the notorious Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as honorable and noble. After viewing this work and researching I found that this film did not accurately portray its time period in which it was published. Although the Ku Klux Klan was active and blacks did endure constant discrimination during the 1910's, the Ku Klux Klan clan was very racist and violent.
By 1965 the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak with the release of the Autobiography of Malcolm X. In the book Malcolm X talks about his life to Alex Haley, the author of the book, and ends with his assassination in 1965. With the release of the book Americans read, first hand, on how African Americans were being treated around them. Americans also read how some African Americans thought according to Malcolm’s experiences. Both the Birth of a Nation and The Autobiography of Malcolm X illuminated the time in which they were released and were extremely influential on the American society.
After the end of the civil war in 1877, America was faced with the...
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If there was any one man who demonstrated the anger, the struggle, and the beliefs of African Americans in the 1960s, that man was Malcolm X. The African American cultural movement of the 1920s lost momentum in the 1930s because of worldwide economic depression. The Great Depression helped to divert attention from cultural to economic matters. Even before the stock market crash of 1929, unemployment and poverty among blacks was exceptionally high. It was under these difficult conditions that Malcolm X experienced his youth in the South. Malcolm X was a very controversial character in his time. He grew up in a very large family. His father hunted rabbits to sell to the white people for money, and his mother stayed home to take care of all the children. Several times when he was young, his family was forced to relocate due to the racist groups that would burn or run them out of their home like the Ku Klux Klan. One of these groups called the Black Legion killed his father by tying him to the railroad tracks. Malcolm’s father had life insurance but was not given to his family because they said that Earl Little had committed suicide. This was quite impossible because his head was bashed in and he tied himself to the railroad. Without his father’s income, Malcolm's family was forced to get government help and food. Applying for this type of assistance brought many white Social Workers into their home. They asked questions and interrogated the entire family. Malcolm’s mother always refused to talk or let them in.
Alex Haley’s, Autobiography of Malcolm X, continues to teach us of the prominent African American leader in the Nation of Islam. He starts off before Malcolm Little was even born, talking of his father and mother and how white members of the KKK drove his family out of their home and into Lansing, Michigan. In Lansing, their family was harassed once again by a white racist group, the Black Legion. Malcolm’s father died when he was six, and his mother was placed in a mental hospital seven years after this incident.
The autobiography of Malcolm X, written by Alex Haley contains the story of one of the most influential and memorable activists in our history, the courageous life of Malcolm X is only but a small price he had to pay to express himself and encourage people to take the right path. The autobiography is told with three series of main key events that develop his character drastically throughout the novel. Malcolm Xs character being foretold and expressed is constantly being contributed with the reader allowing the engagement of his story to effect the audience in such a way that they can feel every inch of the strong emotion being expressed. The three main key events that are included in the novel include the crucial reasoning to why Malcolm expressed
Board of Education case of Topeka, Kansas in 1954 was a unanimous Supreme Court decision that overturned the Plessy vs. Ferguson case of 1896. The decision stated that separate but equal rule violated a person equal protection rights as stated in the 14th amendment. This case proved to be a model case of future civil rights lawsuits.
This paper will discuss the different stages of thought processes the former Nation of Islam minister, Malcolm X went through during his lifetime in terms of how he viewed white people, but more specifically “the white man” in America. The reason the focus is on White Americans is because these were the people outside of the Nation of Islam that shaped his life good or bad and put him on the path where he eventually transformed from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X who was one of the most polarizing and controversial figures during his lifetime and even nearly 50 years after his death the name Malcolm X causes certain people to shudder. Malcolm X became a well-known figure during the 50’s and 60’s during the civil rights movement which involved figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. This was a pivotal era in American history because for the first time that there was major push towards full rights for African Americans. When Malcolm X came on the scene he put fear into White people because they weren’t used to hearing the truth about race relations in America and many of them felt that things were just fine because they themselves were living life high on the hog while at the same time exploiting Blacks. Because this type of talk from a black person was new to them they misinterpreted his views as “hate speech” and accused him of trying to incite violence when he was simply trying wake his people up to properly deal with what was happening to them.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was a milestone in American history, as it began the long process of racial integration, starting with schools. Segregated schools were not equal in quality, so African-American families spearheaded the fight for equality. Brown v. Board stated that public schools must integrate. This court decision created enormous controversy throughout the United States. Without this case, the United States may still be segregated today.
Autobiography of Malcolm X takes place during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and illustrates the life of an African American man spent majority of his life fighting for equal rights. Throughout the book, Malcolm X expresses his negative perspective toward white supremacy and actively speaks on behalf of his people for equality. One of the most life changing event in his life was when he converted to Islam. Religion played an important role in his awakening because it removed the blindness from his eyes and showed him that white people were the reason African Americans are suffering on a day to day basis. This essay investigates how Malcolm X’s autobiography puts into perspective how race is extremely complex race that no one can truly
The latter half of the 20th century was a time of rapid progress for the civil rights movement in America. Leadership of this movement was unorganized and those pursuing racial equality would not always rally behind the same person, and there were even separate organizations such as the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam. The most common comparison between civil rights leaders is between Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., who advocated nonviolence and passive resistance and was Christian, and Malcolm X, who is often thought of as the face of radical and violent civil rights activism and is associated with Islam. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, written by Alex Haley who spoke with Malcolm while writing the autobiography, sheds light on
... Brown v. Board of Education. n.d. 8 May 2014 http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/enlight/brown.htm>. History:
Unger, Harlow G. "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." Encyclopedia of American Education, 3rd Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.
The autobiography of Malcolm X written by Alex Haley tells a wonderful story of a boy who grew up to be a legendary hero. Malcolm Xs character continuously develops throughout the entire novel, allowing the reader to be engaged in his story. The beginning of the text begins with the story of the past, when his mother was pregnant, and instantly the author brings in violence that include the Ku Klux Klan and the description of fear is already being portrayed. Chapter one is titled "nightmare "in this chapter not only does the reader already acknowledge struggle but there is also a background of his father. Over the course of chapter you see Malcolm Xs character develop mostly because his entire perspective constantly changes due to being around
In the 1960s it was a hard time for black Americans. There was a revolution being driven by two well know black civil rights leaders. The first phase of the revolution was driven by a young Islamic black man, Malcolm X, who was a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was adamant that blacks needed to take care of their own business. In the issue of black integration in American culture.
In 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision set that “separate” facilities for blacks, and whites was constitutional. With the Brown v. Board of Education decision, Plessy was overturned along with the separate but equal implementation. The Brown v. Board of Education case all started with African American children who were denied acceptance in white schools. In a PBS Article the author discusses how a case was filed against the Topeka Kansas school board by Oliver Brown. Alexander McBride states “Brown v. Board of Education was filed against the Topeka, Kansas school board by representative-plaintiff Oliver Brown, parent of one of the children denied access to Topeka 's white schools. Brow...
The Nation of Islam, which Malcolm X was an important member of, is not a religious organization as the name suggests but rather an organization whose goal was to make the lives of African Americans better instead of actually teaching the proper ethics of Islam. One of the main objectives of this organization was Black Nationalism, through which Black leaders can control the areas where there is a majority of African Americans. This cause was greatl...
The autobiography of Malcolm X captures the personal growth and the journey of Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X. Throughout his life, Malcolm’s experiences shaped him into the human rights activist that we are all familiar with today. In his early age Malcolm believed every white person was malicious, he was a criminal, and he believed that Christianity prevented the progression of African Americans- later on in life, Malcolm became a controversial human rights activist, believed that white people were “well-meaning” people, and was a devout Muslim (pg. 383).