Malcolm X Civil Rights Activist

443 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Perspectives of malcolm x

Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. To his admirers, he was courageous for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted White America in the harshest terms for its crimes against African Americans. Many accused Malcolm of preaching racism and violence; he has been recognized as one of the greatest and most inspiring African American Civil right leaders in American history. Malcolm had a rough life growing up as a kid, his father died when he was at the age of six and his mother was placed in a mental hospital. This wasn’t a great childhood for Malcolm and he went on the wrong path at the age of twenty. Malcolm was accused of breaking and entering and was sentenced to prison. While in prison he was a member of a group called the “Nation of Islam”. After being released from prison, Malcolm became a co-leader of this group and becoming the face of this controversial group teaching black supremacy, advocated the separation of black and white Americans and rejected the civil …show more content…

His beliefs were very controversial for some African Americans and many white Americans. Malcolm’s beliefs were: that black people are the original people of the world; that white people are “devils”; that blacks are superior to whites; and that the demise of the white race is imminent. After stating this many believed this group to be hatemongers, black supremacists, racists, violence-seekers, segregationists, and a threat to improved race relations. Malcolm rejected the idea of the non-violent approach to the civil rights movement. Malcolm expressed in his opinion that African Americans should defend themselves by any means necessary. Malcolm advocated the complete separation of African Americans from white Americans. He proposed that African Americans should return to Africa, and that a separate country for African American people in America should be created as an interim

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Richard Wright And Malcolm X

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, it was what happened in his life that made Malcolm X the man who people remember today. From a very early age, Little lived in fear of racism and hate groups, much of it rooting from his father’s murder by white supremacists. He was effectively orphaned by 13, as his mother was placed in a mental institution, and lived until he was 20 in several different foster homes. He was arrested for a crime and once released, went on to commit several crimes, including using and distributing drugs, etc. It was when he was imprisoned that he found the Nation of Islam, who helped him when he was released from prison to find a new life. From them, he was able to attain great oratory skills and create an environment when he spoke in which the people around him, white and black alike, felt empowered and equal. Once he discovered corruption and began to disdain the Nation of Islam, he became independent and was later assassinated. However, he along with MLK, were empowered by their stories, Malcolm’s being one of hatred, poverty, hope, and truth, that changed him to become a stimulus for African American equality in

    Read More

  • The Ever-Changing Malcolm X - AKA The Infamous Detroit Red

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    During his stay in prison, Malcolm continually lashed out at the guards and fellow inmates. After realizing that this would never get him anywhere, he began to study the teachings of Islam. With the aid of a fellow convict he cam to the mindset that it was his new mission in life to convert fellow blacks in order to unify them as a people. He felt that there was no real way that blacks and whites could come to a mutual agreement in America, and the only solution would be a great Diaspora back to his "homeland" of Africa.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    Malcolm X Read an excerpt from the book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Malcolm X and Alex Haley. In this part of the book, Malcolm discusses his quest for knowledge. He starts off by telling us about how he wrote to his Harlem, hustler friends and told them all about Allah and Mr. Elijah Muhammad, the two main figures in the Islamic religion. He never got a single reply and figured it was because the average hustler and criminal couldn't read. He also thought that maybe they thought he had gone crazy, because after all he was writing to them about the devil; the white devil.

    Read More

  • Influence On Malcolm X

    1794 Words  | 4 Pages

    “I’m for the truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole” (X). This quote by Malcolm X represented his attitude towards equality and self-empowerment. The true Malcolm X was a passionate human rights activist as well as an extremely outspoken man during the fifties and sixties. X encouraged millions of African Americans to fight for what they believed in and to take pride in their ethnicity. X persuaded a multitude of African Americans that they are supreme and should not be degraded for their skin color. He learned at a very early age if he wanted something in life, he had to make some noise

    Read More

  • malcolm x

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    Malcolm X was a very interesting and complicated person. Throughout his life, Malcolm had exposure to practically every type of person the world had to offer. In his younger years, he excelled in his community predominately surrounded by whites. He then got into the hustling business within the black community which supplied for all types of people. After that, he joined the Nation of Islam, joining himself with many Muslims. Lastly, Malcolm went on a Hajj to Africa, where his communication with a diverse group of people expanded. Each time Malcolm had a new group of people in his life, he had a different alias to go by. Whichever one is remembered most, Malcolm Little, Malcolm X or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, his impact on society will be remembered forever.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925, and he was assassinated on February 21, 1965. Malcolm X was a Muslim leader and Civil Rights leader. He was born Malcolm Little to Earl Little and Louise Norton, who were both activists in the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Malcolm X was a bright student but was very bitter towards white authority figures. X quit school after a teacher said that his desire to become a lawyer was not a “realistic goal for a nigger.”

    Read More

  • Malcolm X

    333 Words  | 1 Pages

    Malcolm X is born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. His life is full of discrimination and racial violence. When Malcolm as a child he moved to Michigan with his family where they continue to experience persecution and violence. White people murder Malcolm’s father and forced his mother into a mental hospital. Malcolm moves to Boston, to live with his half-sister, Ella. In Boston Malcolm quickly becomes involved in urban nightlife. Malcolm was into gambling, drinking, doing drugs, and dating an older white woman, Sophia. He then moves to New York, where he begins working as a hustler in Harlem. Malcolm’s various jobs there include running numbers, selling drugs, and steering white people to black brothels. When life becomes too dangerous is Harlem, he returns to Boston, where he becomes a house burglar and is eventually arrested. In prison, Malcolm transforms himself, converting to the branch of Islam promoted by the Nation of Islam. Inspired by faith, Malcolm stops using drugs, he reads voraciously, prays, and studies English and Latin. The prison releases Malcolm on parole. Malcolm rises quickly from the rank of temple assistant in Detroit to the Nation’s first national minister. Malcolm X becomes known throughout the United States, even outside of Muslim circles, as a fiery advocate for black unity and militancy. The Nation of Islam’s leaders resent and fear Malcolm despite his allegiance to their cause, and they suspend him from the organization. The Nation of Islam’s frustration with Malcolm intensifies, and Malcolm begins receiving death threats. After a divisive argument with Elijah Muhammad the leader of Nation of Islam, Malcolm leaves organisation.

    Read More

  • How Did Malcolm X Impact The Civil Rights Movement

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1931 Malcolm X was dead. People believed he was killed by a hate group. And to make matters worse for the Little family. Malcolm X mom was placed in a mental institution and this led to Malcolm and his siblings being separated and placed in foster homes. In 1938 Malcolm X was kicked out of school and sent to a juvenile detention home. He was kind of a bad kid. The Juvenile detention home ran by a white couple treated Malcolm X well. In 1939 a year later Malcolm dropped out of school after basically being told that there is really no point for a black child to go to school. This really hurt Malcolm. After dropping out Malcolm went to a life of crime. When Malcolm X was 21 he was sentenced to prison for burglary and encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Black Muslims. Muhammed shared with Malcolm that white men are the devils that black men cannot live with. This stuck with Malcolm. He became a disciple of Muhammed. Six years later Malcolm X was released from prison. Malcolm X was becoming popular in the Muslim community because of his views and Elijah Muhammad felt threatened. Malcolm later left the organization and traveled to Mecca and discovered true Muslims believe in

    Read More

  • Malcolm X

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    A black militant, Malcolm X championed the rights of African Americans and urged them to develop racial unity. He was known for his association first with the Nation of Islam, sometimes known as the Black Muslims, and later with the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which he founded after breaking with the Nation of Islam. Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Neb., on May 19, 1925, the seventh of eleven children. The family soon moved to Lansing, Mich.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X: Paving the Way for the Rights of African Americans

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of the people whose names are mentioned in history, some men like Thomas Edison are praised for their genius minds, while others such as Adolf Hitler are criticized for leaving a depressing legacy behind. While it is relative easy to notice the type of legacies these two men left, legacies of other men are often vague and they seem to be imbedded in gray shadows. This is how many people view the life of Malcolm X. Malcolm X during his lifetime had influenced many African Americans to step up for their rights against the injustices by the American government. One on hand, he has been criticized for his hard stances that resemble extremism, while on the other hand he has been praised him for his effort in raising the status for African Americans. The extremes in viewing his life from the modern day perspective have often come from reading his climatic speech The Ballot or the Bullet that he gave in many cities across America in 1964. When he was with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X favored Blacks to be separated from the Whites, and during this time he strongly opposed White Supremacy. This also seems quite prevalent in his speech The Ballot or the Bullet. However, one events during the last year of his life reveal that he wanted the Blacks and the Whites to coexist as peaceful Americans.

    Read More

  • Three Events In Malcolm X

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    Three events in Malcolm X’s life were very significant in Malcolm’s development and influenced his ideas. His interaction with Mr. Ostrowski opened his eyes to a new, more aware, point of view that marked his transition from childhood. His time in prison turned him against white people and led him to completely accept the ideas of Elijah Muhammad and transition away from hustling and crime. Malcolm’s pilgrimage to Mecca transitioned him from the hate-driven society of the Nation of Islam and towards a more accepting society of traditional Islam. All these events progress or completely change Malcolm’s ideas about systemic oppression, racial identity, and separation verses integration and push him to a new period of life and the next event.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Autobiography of Malcolm X

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Malcolm X while in prison completed his first transformation.  Like many great figures and history makers had a low point in is life.  At this time Malcolm was into drugs, hustling, women and money.  He became so dependant on making a lot of money he and some of his friends decided to rob the house of an old white man.  They were caught for this crime and were not only charged with this crime but were also charged with having sex with white women.  Malcolm and his friend "Shorty" were sentenced to six years in prison.  The two white women that were Malcolm and Shorty’s accomplices were sentenced to a year in jail.  During the first couple days of prison Malcolm was coming off a drug high and was having withdrawals.  These withdrawals led Malcolm into solitary confinement for two months.  When he was let out of his chamber he met the man that would later be responsible for Malcolm’s transformation.  This man was a follower of the nation of Islam and the great Alijah Muhammad.  Malcolm learned a great deal form him.  This shows us that even in the worst of circumstances we can learn and become better.  This transformation was a great test for Malcolm and starts to let us see what a great influence he would end up being in the lives of many Americans.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X Thesis Paper

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    The history of the United States has in it much separation or segregation due to race. For a long time our country has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon and forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this, races, particularly African-Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations that support change. Malcolm X is one strong example of an African American man who became apart of a group acted against it, uniting people to promote the advancement of colored people and change. Malcolm's thoughts towards race and civil right in the previous years were displayed in a less way to the people and "by any means necessary" perspective. After his pilgrimage in 1964 his view of civil rights had quickly changed into a more complete view of civil rights, and the peoples views towards him. No one really knows what kind of impact Malcolm X would have had on history if he had not been assassinated. His beliefs and philosophy did gain him a place in history as one of the best-known Black Nationalist Leaders. Everyone seems to have known who Malcolm X was, and he ranks high with all other Black leaders. His ideas were radical and he was very out spoken. He was a major force in the development of black history. He fought not only for his people but also for all oppressed people everywhere. He was well spoken and he laid the groundwork for the black power movement of the late l960's.

    Read More

  • Integration By Malcolm X

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Malcolm X was a freedom fighter like Dr. King who fought for the right and freedoms for black Americans. Unlike Malcolm, Dr. King called black Americans blacks while Malcolm called them Negros. Malcolm used violence in his fight for freedom when he said, “Revolution was based upon bloodshed”. Malcolm was ready for anything as far as blacks will gain the respect and freedom they needed. In Malcolm’s black revolution, he made it clear how blacks were treated differently no matter their age, what school they came out of, no matter what their intellectual or professional level was, they were still recognized as a boy and were not given the respect they deserved. He also pointed out how whites made them think they had different goals and objectives.

    Read More

  • Essay On Malcolm X

    2154 Words  | 5 Pages

    Malcolm X or Malcolm Little and also known as “El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz”, was an African-American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. He had a hard child, a young adult. His admirers he was a courageous speaker for the rights of blacks, a man who accuses white America in the meanest terms for their crimes against black Americans. Critics accused him of preaching racism and violence. “He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history along with Martin Luther King Jr.”

    Read More

More about Malcolm X Civil Rights Activist

Open Document