Essay on Malcolm X

The history of Malcolm's dedication to black people, like that of his father, may have been motivated by a long history of oppression of his family. As a young child, Malcolm, his parents, brothers, and sisters were shot at, burned out of their home, harassed, and threatened. This culminated in the

Malcolm X was one of the most prominent civi right activists at the time. He preached Black Nationalism, where blacks separates themselves from the whites completely. He is often known as the intellectual, charismatic hero. Although, he was not always that faithful. He was a thug. A hustler. He committed crimes. How did a hoodlum, became a historical figure of Malcolm X? There was many events in his life that changed him, and shaped him to be that somebody. If we trace back his footsteps, his life as Malcolm Little, his life as a thug, his life as a inmate, and his life as a national minister of Nation of Islam, all contributed in creating him and his name of Malcolm X.

Literacy is power. Being taught to read and write is important to function in society. You learn to read and write to express your feelings and communicate with others. Frederick Douglass and Malcom X both succeeded in learning how to read and write, but in different ways. The education of Malcolm X was learned more formally. Frederick Douglass learned from his surroundings and the people around him. Malcom and Frederick battled in reading and writing, but learned in similar and different ways.

With Malcolm's imprisonment ended the acceptance of the ghetto hustler and gangster life. In prison Malcolm had to find a new place to turn for acceptance. As his father did, Malcolm turned to religion. The religion he turned to, The Nation of Islam or more commonly known as the Black Muslims, were a group of African Americans who believed, among other things, that whites were the roots of evil. Malcolm became immersed in his religion. It seeped into every part of his life. "For the next years I was the nearest thing to a hermit in the Norfolk Prison Colony. I have never been more busy in my life" (173). Malcolm wrote many letters to family and friends about his new found faith and , most importantly, he found the acceptance he longed for with the teachings of Mr. Muhammad. This acceptance gave him purpose and after his release Malcolm became one of the foremost representatives of the Nation of Islam.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had a common purpose for African Americans; justice and equality. Illustrated through their speeches, Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” and Malcolm X’s “Talk to Young African Americans”, the two did not share techniques or ideas. Yet both men had the support of millions and millions of people.

Americans often say that Malcolm X was ¡°the angriest Negro in America¡± (p. 366). They assume that Malcolm X emphasized only violence to the white and separation of the black from the white. However, is this assumption about Malcolm X really true? Not, at all. The image of Malcolm X as an icon of ¡°black power¡± is not a truth but a myth made by media. Although I grant that Malcolm X had been a radical activist who had tried to improve life of the black and to separate the black from the white before quitting the Nation of Islam, I still argue that Malcolm X eventually realized that the white and the black could exist together with harmony under GOD, Allah, after Hajj.

As the result of the harassment Earl Little was killed, forcing the remaining Little family to move throughout Boston, Flint and Harlem. Malcolm then turned to crimes in hopes of survival. In 1946, Malcolm was arrested for burglary at age 21, at a jewelry shop in Harlem, New York. He was then sentenced, eight

Malcolm X is an extremely critical figure that contributed in shaping American social life. He was a famous man who articulated the struggle, anger, and beliefs of African Americans. He was a radical man who fought for change despite the situation. His struggle for equality for the black nation landed him in prison. While in prison, Malcolm was able to study, and earned a college degree. However, most importantly while in prison, Malcolm X was introduced to the Islam faith by one of the prisoners. He received teachings from the Muslim faith, which made him realize that, his people were being oppressed and abused by the whites. While out of prison, he went to visit honorable Elijah Muhammad and later on went around preaching Elijah

Between the dates May 19, 1925 to February 21, 1965 Malcolm was able to play these different roles such as a minister, human rights activists, and a prominent black nationalist leader who played as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and the 1960s. When he was set free from prison Nation of Islam members increased 400 members in 1952 to 40,000 members by 1960. When Malcolm was still a kid, his dad was slain from the Klan- like Black Legionaries. They say he committed suicide from the damages of a crushed head on one side and almost severed from his body. During this time, the siblings of Malcolm such as his mother was all separated at this time. During while this was happening, Malcolm was already six and was taken and placed into a foster home.

It is said today that he was killed in an accident, but his body being found on railroad tracks with a smashed skull would say otherwise. In the 1930's, after Malcolm's family was spun into chaos and sadness Louise became insane and Malcolm's siblings were placed under the protection of the government in orphanages, and schools. Malcolm was not a very disciplined person at the time, as he was still just a child. He pulled pranks and was sent out of school to a detention center in Mason, Michigan. He learned his lesson and was sent to the Mason Junior

Lansing did not hold many opportunities of any kind for a young black man then, so without a particular plan, Malcolm X went to live with his half-sister, Ella, in Boston. Malcolm X looked, and almost immediately found trouble. He fell in with a group of gamblers and thieves, and began shining shoes at the Roseland State Ballroom. There he learned the trades that would eventually take him to jail dealing in bootleg liquor and illegal drugs. Malcolm X characterized his life then as one completely lacking in self-respect. Many journalists would emphasize Malcolm X’s “shady” past when describing the older man, his clean-cut lifestyle, and the aims of the Nation of Islam. In some cases, these references were an attempt to damage Malcolm X’s credibility, but economically disadvantaged people have found his early years to be a point of commonality, and Malcolm X himself was proud of how far he had come. He spared no detail of his youth in his autobiography, and used his Nation of Islam ideas to interpret them. Dancing, drinking, and even his hair style were represented by Malcolm X to be marks of shame and self-hatred. Relaxed hair in particular was an anathema to Malcolm X for the rest of his life; he described his first “conk” in the autobiography this way: “This was my first really big step toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain of the hair-straightening chemicals, literally burning my flesh to have it

Malcolm was arrested on January 12, 1946, and convicted of burglary, carrying an illegal firearm, and larceny (Crime and Investigation 1). He was sent to Charlestown State Prison for 8-10 years. While there, he joined the Nation of Islam. He began exchanging letters frequently with Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam’s leader, and changed his name to Malcolm X. He stated the “X” symbolized his lost tribal name, and that he was destroying the surname “Little” that his ancestor’s slave-owners had imposed on his family.

Around the mid-20th century, African Americans in the United States began their fight for civil rights. Among them were brave individuals who led the quest for equality regardless of the consequences that followed. Two of the most famous civil rights activists were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. They were both influential leaders of the civil rights movement who strove for a common goal, which was to create equality for African Americans. Although Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both authoritative figures in the African-American civil rights movement, they differed significantly in their social backgrounds, religious beliefs, and ideologies, which affected their philosophies.

Many factors such as the ripple effect on Malcom due to the prejudice and racial discriminations his parents experienced and the lack of support from his school teacher contributed to his lack of guidance that resulted into self indulging in common vices his time; Eventually, such erratic behavior lands Malcom in jail where He converts to the branch of Islam called the Nation of Islam. This religious group attracted many followers, especially in prisons, where lost African Americans like Malcolm, mostly looked for guidance. They preached adherence to a strict moral code and reliance on other African Americans and promoted separation from the white community. Integration was out of question; rather, the Nation of Islam wanted blacks to set up their own schools, churches, and support networks. When Malcolm X converted to Islam, Elijah Muhammad who happened to be the head of the NOI, soon recognized his capacities and made him a leading spokesperson for the Nation of Islam. Finally, Malcom had a fulfilled sense of purpose and he was surrounded by people who saw his true

Malcolm X only got six short years before his family was torn apart by the death of his father and the nervous breakdown of his mother in the beginning. He and his siblings became wards of the state. He started to dream of living in Boston when he met his half-sister Ella.