Malcolm X Biography

Check out more papers on Islam Malcolm X

He was born May 19th, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska Malcolm X (originally Malcolm Little)'s father, a baptist minister, was an activist but he was killed when Malcolm was 6 years old, making the family poor. His mother went mad and was placed in an asylum, and siblings and him were sent to foster homes

He quits formal education when told he would be a carpenter and not a lawyer in 8th grade. He was sent a juvenile detention home in Michigan but soon was moved to the Roxbury section of Boston to live with his half-sister Ella, from his father's previous marriage.

During his teenage years, he dealt drugs, was a hustler, and was the leader of a gang of thieves in Roxbury and Harlem (NY)

He was in prison for robbery from 1946 to 1952, which lead him to convert himself, and join the Nation Of Islam - his brother Reginald was also a member and was one of the reason Malcolm decided to convert- they had been in prison together in 1948.

The Nation Of Islam was a movement for African-Americans that combined elements of black nationalism and Islam

He quit eating pork, smoking and gambling to be in this Nation - all those were part of the requirements to be a member.

All members had to replace their last name with 'X', it was a custom among the Nation of Islam followers who considered their last name to have originated from white slaveholders

He met Elijah Muhammad (leader of the Nation Of Islam) in Chicago (1952), who inspired him to organize temples for the Nations in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other cities in the Southern US, and he created the Nation's newspaper: Muhammad Speaks

Contrary to other activists who wanted African-American rights to be equal to white rights, Malcolm X argued that blacks were naturally superior to whites

Malcolm became the minister of one of the temples that he founded himself: Temple No. 11 in Boston. He was later promoted to be the minister at Temple No. 7 in Harlem

Elijah Muhammad appointed Malcolm X as the National Representative of the Nation of Islam. This meant that Malcolm was the most important person in the Nation, right after Elijah

Malcolm spoke at many universities including Harvard and Oxford around the major phase of the civil rights movement: 1955 - 1965

1963 - deep tensions between Malcolm and Elijah Muhammad ovec the political direction of the Nation

Malcolm brought bad publicity to the Nation with a controversial comment about President John F. Kennedy, so was ordered by Elijah to do a period of silence for 90 days - they then became estranged

Malcolm left the Nation in 1964

He made a pilgrimage to Mecca,, and converted himself again to Sunni Islam, and adopting the Muslim el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz and stopped believing in the separatist ways of the Nation

In 1965, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, moving from civil rights to human rights

Malcolm received open death threats and violence due to the hostility between him the Nation

He was assassinated on February 21st 1965 while giving a lecture in the Audubon ballroom in Harlem - 3 members of the Nation of Islam were convicted for it

Impact on Society:

Malcolm X was a standout amongst the most huge figures inside the American dark patriot development. A significant number of the thoughts he explained, similar to race pride and self-protection, ended up ideological pillars of the Black Power development that rose during the 1960s and '70s'.

Did you like this example?

Cite this page

Malcolm X Biography. (2019, Mar 26). Retrieved December 12, 2024 , from
https://studydriver.com/malcolm-x-biography/

Save time with Studydriver!

Get in touch with our top writers for a non-plagiarized essays written to satisfy your needs

Get custom essay

Stuck on ideas? Struggling with a concept?

A professional writer will make a clear, mistake-free paper for you!

Get help with your assignment
Leave your email and we will send a sample to you.
Stop wasting your time searching for samples!
You can find a skilled professional who can write any paper for you.
Get unique paper

Hi!
I'm Amy :)

I can help you save hours on your homework. Let's start by finding a writer.

Find Writer