MALCOLM X.   Term Paper ID:30407 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Biograophical study of the life, ideas, influence, activism and death of the Black Nationalism Afrcan-American leader.... More...

14 Pages / 3150 Words 6 sources, 19 Citations, MLA Format $56.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Biographical study of the life, ideas, influence, activism and death of the Black Nationalism African-American leader. Early life and effect of racism. Academic education. Search for new opportunities. Impact of white oppression. Criminal activities and prison. Conversion to Nation of Islam. His preaching and ministry. Relationship to Elijah Muhammad. Paper Introduction: Malcolm X was one of the most influential Afro-American leaders of the Black Nationalism movement in America. An advocate of vigorous self-defense against white violence, Malcolm X is considered an early influence on the black power movement in the late 1960s. Malcolm went from illiterate convict to minister the Harlem mosque within one year of joining Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. As a direct result of his effort, the Nation of Islam became the most well known and controversial black organization in the United States. Malcolm Little was born on ay 19, 1925, in Omaha,Nebraska. His family moved from Omaha to Milwaukee shortly after Malcolm's birth, and later to Lansing, Michigan. Malcolm was initiated into violence, resistance, and religious rhetoric at a very young age. His father took him to the Garvey meetings that were Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Davis wrote that, following the funeral,many black people wrote to commend him for speaking at Malcolm's funeral.However, they all took care to express their disagreement with much or allof what Malcolm said. From this onetiny mosque in Harlem, he built three of the most powerful and aggressivemosques in the Nation of Islam. 35) . From Boston, he drifted to NewYork City, where he became involved in Harlem's underground world of drugs,prostitution and confidence games. At Norfolk, he requested a dictionary,tablets, and pencils. He was Caught, convicted and sent to prison from1946 to 1952. The impact of Malcolm X is as individual as the people who knew him,the institutions he changed, and the history he altered. His motherwas a proud woman, and Malcolm retained this same pride, trying not tosuccumb to the white oppression that broke up the Little family. His death warrant had been issued. Boston: Beacon, 1961.Rajiv, S. The third black gang member escaped and was nevercaptured. The transformed Malcolm X is unknown tomany, and only his time spent with the Nation of Islam and the hatemessages he spread are remembered. Malcolm was reprimanded and ordered to remain silent from December1963 through February 1964 by Muhammad for an insensitive statement he madeabout President Kennedy's assassination. Malcolm noticed that, in allthe media mania that followed, only the American press stressed the hateaspects of the film. His mother, on the other hand, was more abusive towardshim because of the light skin-probably a reflection of how she came to belight herself (Rajiv, 1992, p. Malcolm dropped out of school at 15. Thiswould be the last public appearance Malcolm and the messenger would maketogether. Histravel in the Middle East and Africa gave him a more optimistic viewregarding potential brotherhood between black and white Americans. He hadcompletely changed for the second time in his life. In late 1963 at a rally in Philadelphia, Elijah Muhammad appointedMalcolm the Nation of Islam's first National Minister. Ella visited Malcolm in prison and worked to have him transferred tothe Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony. Malcolm believed that all white people in America profit directly orindirectly from racism even though they mayor may not practice it orbelieve it. While in prison, he became a memberof the Nation of Islam, the Black Muslim group headed by Elijah Muhammad.After being released from prison, Malcolm X joined Elijah Muhammad. He made a geographic move to Boston, in order towiden opportunities for himself and construct a new identity. A shorttime later, one of the brothers informed Malcolm that he had been told toblow up Malcolm's car. Hechanged his name to Malcolm X.Black Muslims is the name most commonly used for the American blacknationalist religious movement founded by Wallace D. An advocate of vigorous self-defense against white violence, Malcolm X is considered an early influenceon the black power movement in the late 196 s. He nolonger preached racial separation. Malcolm had hepowerful influence of his father, a minister and organized resister. He was shocked when the women told him, not only about theadultery, but also about the messenger's ominous words against him. He was trying to builda new organization based on principles of brotherhood and human rights. As he wasnot comfortable with the Roxbury blacks, he found himself gravitating toHarlem where he stumbled into a life of hustling. Accordingto Silberman, even among the most sophisticated blacks, the Muslims'message struck a responsive chord. Davis said that he was contentto wait, leaving the controversy about this controversial man for historyto make the final decision (466). Malcolm is hardly considered mainstream, and he is not aneasy man to classify and catalogue. Known as prophet Fard, Wallace Fardattracted more than 8, followers between 193 and 1934 in Detroit. Quoting Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm toldhis audiences the following: No white man wants the black man to have hisrights or he would have them. Calls flooded in to Malcolm from media andpress organizations all over the world. Withheadquarters in Chicago, the number of Black Muslims grew to more than1 , primarily because of Malcolm's efforts. The entire sequence of events whichenabled Malcolm to reach Mecca, his treatment by the many Muslims he met onhis , journey, and the spiritual impact of the Islamic rituals overwhelmedhim. He kept shouting the painful truth we did not want to hear, arid he would not stop (Haley and X 465-466). Several months later" at one of his speaking engagements, Malcolm wasshown a news story about two former secretaries of the messenger who werebringing paternity suits against Elijah Muhammad. Once he was able to understand the meanings of the words, Malcolmbegan to read voraciously. Malcolm Little was born on ay 19, 1925, in Omaha,Nebraska. Elijah Muhammad called himself themessenger and claimed to be the prophet and apostle of Allah. Malcolm became a member of the world community. In July 1964, Malcolm returned to Africa and the Middle East. In time,his relationship with Elijah Muhammad deteriorated, and Malcolm left theBlack Muslims. InApril 1963, following a long inner battle of disbelief, Malcolm wroteElijah Muhammad and asked to see him. In June 1954, Malcolmwas reassigned as minister of the Harlem, New York temple. Rumors were circulated that Malcolmmight not submit to the imposed punishment and, as a consequence, mightnot return at the end of his 9 -day suspension. As a direct result of his effort, theNation of Islam became the most well known and controversial blackorganization in the United States. Malcolm's awareness of the pigment of his skin came first through hisfamily and then from the outer world. He described how he skipped through the books, because he could notunderstand most of the words. He was shot dead seven days later at the Audubon Ballroom whitegiving a speech. Malcolm X was one of the most influential Afro-American leaders ofthe Black Nationalism movement in America. Two days before his death, according to Davis, Malcolm toldGordon Parks that his past life was a mad scene and he was glad to be freeof it. Farddisappeared in June 1934, and his successor was Elijah Muhammad (Elijahpoole), a young man in his 3 s. Malcolm X was shot to death in front of his familyand followers on Sunday, February 21, 1965, while making a speech in theAudubon Ballroom New York. Ossie Davis was one of the first people to express shock publicly overMalcolm's assassination. He had fully submitted and surrendered to the punishmentalready. In this way his father showed he had internalize white prejudiceagainst dark skin. The Black Muslims in America. Somehow she accomplished this,and in 1948 Malcolm was transferred (Huxley and X 16 ) .In prison, Malcolmbegan the first phase of his transformation into Malcolm x. He had slept less than that during his street life (Huxley andX 177). Whether or not Malcolm X is included depends on the politicsof the historian. From 1953 until 1963, Malcolm became the best known and mostsuccessful minister in the Nation of Islam. Malcolm was right. Malcolmlectured on radio and television and gained attention nation-wide. His father took him to the Garveymeetings that were held in different homes, and Malcolm heard a great dealof talk regarding the acceptance of blacks in America. Under Wallace's leadership, the Muslims abandoned the unorthodoxbehavior that had, created barriers to recognition by other Muslims ofAmerican Black Muslims as being authentically Islamic. He notes in his autobiography that he was being punished forbring with the two white women who were part of his gang, not for theburglaries. New York: Advent Books, Inc.Silberman, Charles E. New York: Ballantine Books, 1965.Lincoln, C. New York: Vintage, 1964. Black on Black. He had toread in 58-minute time segments to keep the guards from catching him out ofbed when they made their rounds. After thelights were out, he would sit on the floor of his cell and continue to readby the dim glow from the corridor until 3 or 4 in the morning. Davis wrote about Malcolm with great affection: He scared the hell out of the rest of us, wrote Davis, bred as we are to caution, to hypocrisy in the presence of white folks, and to the smile that never fades. He hadcherished his demagogue role. Malcolm kept snatching our lies away. In 1985, 2 yearsafter Malcolm had advocated joining all Islam, Deen announced thedissolution of the American Muslim Mission to unify its members with theworldwide Muslim community. On the last pages of his autobiography, Malcolm knew that his dayswere numbered, and he expected to be killed. Malcolm was constructing rebuttals to the charges. The few hours left for sleep were enoughfor Malcolm. New York: Ballentine, 1993.Haley, A. 22). His thinking was tempered by the brotherhood and color-blindness heexperienced during the pilgrimage. As a first offender, the normal sentence, even for a black man,would have been two years. He and his family barely escaped a firebomb thrown , throughthe front window of his house in the early morning on Valentine's Day in1965. History is writtenby historians. Fard. Malcolm wantedto be an attorney and the teacher replied that that was not a realisticgoal for a 'nigger' (Rajiv, 1992, p. Malcolm repeated Elijah Muhammad's messagesoften: blacks can look to no one but themselves for their salvation; blackpeople must wake up, clean up, and stand up before they can hope to becomefree and independent (153-155). He had not abandoned his determination to gain immediate freedom inthis country, not only for blacks!, but for everybody (Huxley and X 466) . At the age of five (when he startedschool), Malcolm was called "Nigger", "Darkie", and "Rastus" by the whitechildren. In 1959, Malcolm made his first trip to the Middle East and Africa asan emissary for Eli~j ah Muhammad. His autobiography relates the details of his life and hisexperiences in the ghettoes in Boston, New York, and other eastern cities.In 1946, Malcolm X was sent to prison. This honor was thehighest public praise the messenger had ever bestowed or a Muslim. In his autobiography, Malcolm related his attempts to read while inprison. Malcolm spent several years infoster homes. As the stories continuedto float among the followers, Malcolm went to see Muhammad's son, WallaceD. 84). Malcolm made a second trip to Africa and the Middle East in April1964. Malcolm's speechesreinforced the experiences of many black Americans that white Americareally had no good intentions toward them (Lincoln 19). The European press never emphasized the hate question. After serving six and a halfyears, Malcolm was paroled from prison. Initially, the love and oneness heexperienced were beyond his ability to describe. The death of Malcolm's father in 1931 devastated Malcolm's mother, whowas left with eight children to rear. During this time period he 1ated a white woman, Sophie, bought a zootsuit, a racist image which had become a status symbol for blacks, and hadhis hair straightened. He ended the book byindicating that he would not live to see his book in print. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Malcolm felt at this time that the workers viewed the children asthings, and he was quite sensitive to the dependence on charity. As leader of the largest temple in New York, Malcolm enjoyed a closerelationship with .the messenger. He learned as a teenager that he could not participate in theconventional white dances, and Malcolm eventually ended up in a detentionhome and reform school (Haley, 1965, p. He wentthrough a process of destroying the old identity and tying new alliancesthat were in keeping with the new identity (Rajiv, 1992, p. Following his father's death, the family came into hard times thateventually lead to Malcolm living in a number of foster homes. Such rumors meant that the messenger did not intend for him toreturn, and Malcolm would be either permanently isolated or killed. He organized 9 small gang and begancommitting burglaries. A close personal friend of Malcolm X, he gave theeulogy at the funeral. He used cigarettes, liquor and reefers. A racist anda hater, Malcolm really believed that white people were devils, but allthis changed. In the epilogue to the Autobiography of Malcolm X, Huxleywrote that witnesses saw three men who were seated in the front row standup, take aim and start shooting. Malcolm understood this wasthe death knell. Forms of black consciousness. Malcolm had changed, completely abandoning racism, separatism andhatred. In 1976, the namewas changed to the World Community of Islam in the West. Muslims struck aresponsive chord in much of the black population for another reason--theMuslims not only articulated the anger and hatred that black people felt,they promised revenge as well. Whites were often shocked by the open expression of hatred by MalcolmX and other Muslim leaders. His mothereventually broke down because of the insensitive welfare treatment and wascommitted to an institution. The determination and desire he previouslyhad channeled into his life of crime, he now focused on learning. In one of the most inspiring parts of his story,Malcolm described how he copied each page in the dictionary, learning thewords and their meanings. Fard called hisgroup the Lost-Found Nation of Islam. He metwith government leaders, diplomats, business people, and other dignitariesfrom all backgrounds. Malcolm said that his mother became astatistic of a society that crushes people and then penalizes them for notbeing able to stand up under the weight (Rajiv, 1992, p. Malcolm went from illiterateconvict to minister the Harlem mosque within one year of joining ElijahMuhammad and the Nation of Islam. His familymoved from Omaha to Milwaukee shortly after Malcolm's birth, and later toLansing, Michigan. Apparently, Malcolm was silencedbecause of his increasing popularity as a Muslim spokesman and an intenserivalry which was growing in the hierarchy over a possible successor toElijah Muhakmad. (1992). 87). In reform school he felt thatpeople talked around him, even when he was right there, as if they did notsee him or feel I his actual physical presence. Finally, Malcolm broke Muslim law and spoke with the formersecretaries. Ofparticular note is the fact that because his skin was lighter thansiblings. Mainstream Negro leaders rushed todissociate themselves from the Black Muslims and reassure white Americathat the Muslims were a small lunatic cult. When he ! Preaching a separatist andBlack unity message, Elijah Muhammad called white people devils and urgedblack people to separate themselves from white society and becomeeconomically independent. Crisis in Black and White. Nationally, he had either directlyestablished or helped to establish more than 1 mosques across thecountry. This ended the final phase of Malcolm's transformation. A number of Black Muslims followed him, and he establishedthe Muslim Mosque, Inc. Muhammad invited him to come. Following the death of Elija Muhammad in 1975, his son and successor,Warith Dean (Wallace D.) advocated religious unification with the world'sMuslims. Although many blacks wereunwilling to adhere to the Muslims' strict discipline and religious tenets,they were delighted to hear the anger they felt being expressed so clearly.Not only the poor and uneducated black people answered the Muslim's sirensong of hate; so-called middle-class Negroes responded as well. He did not live to see hisbook in print. Malcolm was initiated into violence, resistance, andreligious rhetoric at a very young age. He went to see Elijah Muhammadimmediately on his rele1se and became part of the Black Muslim movement. I would bestartled to catch myself thinking in a remote way of my earlier self asanother person" (Huxley and X 173). Everyone knew of Malcolm's silencing before he returned to New York.Even the news media had been informed. In his effort tocompletely resist white oppression, he drif1ed into criminality and endedup in prison. Finally, he was sent to Roxbury, Massachusetts to live with his half-sister, Ella. It is asthough someone else I knew of had lived my hustling and crime. They looked like a firing squad (442). He describesthis incident to Alex Huxley: "I still marvel at how swiftly my previouslife's thinking pattern slid away from me, like snow off a roof. To the Black Muslims, their hatred wasconsidered a mirror image of white hatred. As Malcolm pursued his homemade education, he evolved intoa self-taught, literate person. Either you are a citizen or you are not.There is no such thing as a second class citizen. Malcolm was converted to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad throughhis brother, Reginald, who brought him Muslim literature and discussed thereligion with him during periodic visits. At thismeeting, Malcolm presented the many arguments he had developed concerninghow good and positive accomplishments outweigh the negative things peoplemight do. In his eulogy, Davis referred to Malcolm as "our 5black shining prince" (Adoff 191). In 19513, Malcolm was named assistant minister ofthe Nation of Islam's Temple 1, located in Detroit. At this point in his development, Malcolm started to make someprofound changes within. Malcolm's father had become aprominent preacher who advocated the back-to-Africa ideas of Marcus Garvey.The family believed the father was murdered by the Black Legion in Lansingbecause he was actively circulating these ideas among the black population.Malcolm's mother slowly lost her mind under the strain of trying to carefor the children and was institutionalized. Since hismother had no means of supporting the family, she would try to work variousjobs but was fired after each employer discovered that she was a mulattoNegro. Malcolm was sentenced to 1 years in prison. The family was destroyed in 1937 when the state welfare workers tookover, splitting up the children and sending them to various differentfoster homes (Haley, 1965, p. 85). New York: Collier, 1968.Haley, Alex, and Malcolm x. He was fascinated with all the words and foundthe dictionary to be like a "miniature encyclopedia" (Huxley and X 175). The autobiography of Malcolm X. In the afterward to Malcolm's autobiography, Ossie Davis wrote "Ithought that now, when all the white folks are safe from Malcolm, I couldbe honest with myself and lift my hat for one final salute to that brave,black, ironic gallantry which was his style and hallmark, that I knowbrought him, too soon, to his death" (466). Malcolm X had became theleading spokesman for the Black Muslims to the outside world. returned, a televisiondocumentary made about the Muslims for the Mike Wallace Show was aired. He triedto socialize with the wealthy blacks of the Roxbury section of Boston butfound that they held many white values that he could not assume. In spite of these difficulties, Malcolm did well in school, played onthe basketballl team, and worked in a restaurant. Elijah Muhammad never publicly admitted his adultery, and thesituation became one of the most closely guarded secrets in the Nation ofIslam. He was viewed as a1uccess by his peers, brothers and sisters (Rajiv, 199~, p. He became an excellent student and was voted class president.After finishing: the eighth grade, he moved to Roxbury, Massachusetts tolive with his half-sister, Ella, and her second husband. He worked on the railroadwhere he learned that he could make a tremendous amount of money cateringto the white man's need to feel obsessively important. He was moving into the next phase of histransformation. 87) .It was suggested that he take upcarpentry or masonry instead. Ossie Davis described Malcolm X before and after his trip to Mecca.Malcolm had been an addict, a criminal, a pimp, and a convict. He borrowed the money from Ella. Silberman wrote about a former presidentof the New York chapter of the NAACP who confessed admiration for Malcolm.This leader admitted that, even though he was repelled by Malcolm'sphilosophy, he secretly cheered Malcolm because he was not afraid to speakout and because he frightened white people (57). After returning from thepilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm announced that he would become an orthodoxMuslim. 86) .Well intohis teens Malcolm had the idea that 1e could make it like any white personuntil a critical conversation took place between himself and Mr. ostrowsk1,his English teacher regarding a possible choice for career. As a result, Malcolm became isolated within his ownmovement. Oneof his two male accomplices was sentenced to concurrent terms of 8 to 1 years on several counts. Works CitedAdoff, Arnold, ed. Theprogram was titled "The Hate that Hate Produced, " and, according toMalcolm, the show was edited to present a kaleidoscope of shocking images.As the producers intended, an instant avalanche of adverse public reactionwas created (Huxley and X 242). Eric. He became a prizeexample of the Black Muslims' rehabilitation efforts. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.