Malcolm X

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MALCOLM X

"Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery."(Moncur 1) This is a quote said by Malcolm X, and this is typical of how he approached everything. Malcolm X was a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 60s who fought against racism. Malcolm first thought that whites caused all the suffering for the blacks, so they should just stay separate, but it wasn't until later in his career that his views changes and realized violence wouldn't solve his problems. Malcolm X is remembered today for preaching his beliefs, encouraging the end of racism, and being a great influence on the civil rights movement.

Malcolm Little was born May 19, 1925 to Earl and Louise Little. Preaching the end of racism was in Malcolm's blood; his father was a Baptist minister who encouraged blacks to fight for their equality. When Malcolm was young, his family received threats and even had one of their houses burnt down, but nothing was done by the white firemen, and the house burned completely. When Malcolm was young, he was known to be a well behaved child and student, but then a few incidents happened that unleashed a different Malcolm. One day he told a teacher he wanted to be a lawyer, but the teacher told him that being a lawyer was not a job for niggers. It was then that his hopes for the future left him. Another horrible moment in his childhood was when he was six and his father was killed by a white man's car (Crushshon 12).

When Malcolm's father died, the whole family became a mess. Malcolm's mother was left with eight children, and it soon led her to a mental breakdown, so she was sent away to an institution and eight children were left with no one. ...

... middle of paper ...

...erent ideas in his life. He started with the belief that blacks should stick with each other until he experienced the world and found that all races should work together. Malcolm was a brave man and who made a difference. For all of the things he went through, he should be remembered as a man he fought for his people and was not afraid to speak out.

Works Cited

Crushshon, Theresa . Malcolm X-Journey to Freedom. Chanhassen, MN: The

Child's World, 2002.

Encyclopedia Britannica "Malcolm X." Encyclopedia Britannica. 13, Apr 2005.

< http://search.eb.com/Blackhistory/article.do?nKeyValue=50305>

Haberman, Barbara. "About Malcolm X." The Official Web Site of Malcolm X.13,

Apr 2005.

Meyers, Walter Dean. Malcolm X-A fire Burning Brightly. New York: Amistad

Press, 1992

Moncur, Michael. "Quotations by Author." The Quotations Page. 13, Apr 2005.

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