...and Composition 24 February 2015 Malcolm X: Building Up the Fire of the Civil Rights Movement “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it” (Malcolm X). This quote from one of Malcolm X’s speeches embodies who he was as a person and what he valued. As a civil rights activist, Malcolm learned not to let the hate of others prevent him from living out his life the way he wanted. While others pushed a pacifist movement, Malcolm understood that there would be no peaceful way to resolve the civil rights issues. Malcolm was prepared to fight for his own rights, and even put his own life at risk. The impact that he had on the Civil rights movement was rivaled only by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and all of his ideas were culminated into one speech, called The Ballot or the Bullet. Malcolm X’s speech comes during April of 1963, a critical time during the American Civil rights movement, and Malcolm’s ability to target and rile up the emotions of his African-American audience is what makes his speech so powerful. During the 1960’s, America was a hostile environment for an ambitious African-American citizen. Although executive leaders, such as John F. Kennedy, were promising that they had been doing as much as possible to improve civil rights, not enough actual progress had been made to improve the lives of African-Americans. In 1963 alone, a year in which the civil rights movement was supposed to take a huge step forward...
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...Malcolm X Malcolm X was a well-known civil rights movement leader as well as a great Black Muslim as well as a smart and powerful man. He was born as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925 to his parents Louis and Earl Little. His father was a well-known Christian preacher who followed the teachings of Marcus Garvey a former well established African American leader. Growing up and watching his father’s sermons would add to his knowledge of the racial tensions he would soon be faced with as he got older. His mother Louis Little was the product of the slave and master relations as she was mulatto and she hated herself for it as this also was a cause to his inspiration to become a serious activists in the civil rights movement. As he grew up he did very well academically and was very well liked by the whites who accepted him due to his lighter skin tone but as time went on he became very street minded in his ways as he grew up as a thief and street hustler as well as a pimp and drug dealer. All those events led him to prison where he was sentenced to 10 years and in that 10 years he became a changed man by joining the Nation of Islam and becoming a Black Muslim. He then changed his last name from Little to X as he did not want to take the name of a prior slave owner of his ancestors and eventually went on to become one of civil rights movement top respected leaders. I believe Malcolm X should be remembered by his successes such as his evolvement from a street minded...
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...Malcolm Little, more commonly known as Malcolm X was the public voice for the Nation of Islam and an advocate for African American human rights. X challenged ordinary civil right movements and believed equal rights would not be handed to the oppressed African American Nation but instead they would have to fight for their equality and freedom. A quote from Malcolm X stated, “Nobody can give you Freedom, nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it”. The autobiography was published after his death and therefore had significance as many people sought to understand the mind of such a powerful leader. Malcolm X explains why he wrote his autobiography by saying; “people are always speculating—why am I as I am?...
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...Martin Luther King, Jr. vs. Malcolm X The civil rights movement was a social and legal struggle to gain full citizenship rights for African Americans. There were many different leaders and influential people that helped throughout the civil rights movement. There was not one specific event that triggered this movement, but arguably a confluence of events triggered the modern civil rights movement. Events such as; the murder of Emmit Till in 1955, Rosa Parks and the refusal to give up her seat in 1955, and the legal victories in the Brown cases in 1954-55. Boycotts, sit – ins, protest marches, and refusal to abide by segregation laws were the activities the civil rights organizations and people took part in to show that something needed to be changed. Most of these events and activities took place in the south, where the segregation laws were persisted. Two very influential men and leaders of groups and organizations were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. They led protests and other civil rights movements events in hope for freedom. Both of them were great speakers and knew how to get people to follow them. These two leaders had different types strategies when it came to leading the African American organizations. December 1st, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white male on a Montgomery bus, and was arrested and put in jail. This led to boycotts from the buses and marked the beginning of the modern civil rights movement and also put Martin Luther...
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...The Civil Rights Movement was the struggle of African-Americans in the 1950’s through the 1960’s to achieve equality between the minority and the majority in the United States. During this time, many African-Americans were restricted the rights to enact in laws such as equal opportunity in employment, housing, education, and even the right to vote. The goal that the African-Americans had hoped to achieve, was that the Jim Crow Laws would be inevitably suppressed. The Jim Crow Laws, or Black Codes, was presented to the states by government officials stating that local laws could enforce racial segregation in Southern United States. African-Americans were forced to use separate bathrooms and water fountains labeled “black”, they were told to sit in the back of the bus...
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...Reading the Nonviolent excerpts, the two chosen to write about are Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. It seems that the two men only agreed upon one idea, which is, bettering the life for African Americans in America, alternatively, having two different views on how to achieve this goal. Malcolm X was not a radical. However, he voiced different views during the Civil Rights Movements. It is believed by a majority of educated African Americans that if Malcolm was a radical so was every white American that murdered African Americans before as well as through the duration of the Civil Rights Movement. Moreover, Malcolm X was not violent. He believed in self-defense. Self-defense only when an act of crime was being done against an individual,...
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...------------------------------------------------- The Ballot or the bullet Malcolm X Cory Methodist Church Cleveland, Ohio April 3, 1964 Garret Feucht COM 250 – Prof. Heins 10/29/15 Garret Feucht COM 250 – Prof. Heins 10/29/15 (Daniels, 2014) The Ballot or the Bullet is the title of one of the many speeches given by human rights activist Malcolm X. In his speech he focuses on the oppression of the African American, and how African Americans are able to stand up against the illegal segregation. Malcolm also focuses on the African American’s right to vote, and how effective each vote actually is. He also warns the government that if he and his people are not able to vote that they may have to take up arms. The Ballot or the Bullet is among one of Malcolm’s most famous speeches being ranked at number seven in a Top 100 list of speeches in the 20th century. (News, 2008) On May 19, 1925 Malcolm Little was born to parents Earl and Louise Little the fourth of seven children. Born in Omaha, Nebraska the Little family shortly after moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and then to Lansing, Michigan to avoid any further harassment from the Ku Klux Klan. In 1929, just four years after Malcolm was born, the LIttle family house was burned down. This was no accident it was believed to have been burned by members of the Black Legion. At the age of six Malcolm’s father passed away in an automobile accident. Rumors spread that Earl had been murdered by white racists. His mother believed...
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...causing an uprising of civil rights activists. These activists became notable historical figures, leading fellow citizens in the fight to equality, through the spread of their own philosophies. African- Americans conducted protests, marches and boycotts, challenging discriminatory laws that threatened their equality. Malcolm X is just one of the many leaders that propelled the civil rights movement with his concepts of black supremacy, segregation, and Islam. Malcolm X’s philosophy was effective because it encouraged African- Americans to create self-sustainable businesses, logically strengthen their economy, and unite as a group of people to defend their rights; therefore, his philosophy ignited the assemblage of African Americans, forcing legislative figures to compose new laws. During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans organized their own businesses to eliminate subjection to the superior white class. Many successful businesses were owned by whites, so to combat the lack of black,...
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...Haller Eng-132 22 April 2016 Civil Rights Movement In history there have been many changes socially and physically. In the 1960’s the civil rights movement was significant for the equality of people. After the abolition of slavery in 1853, there had been a continuous conflict between the races of people who lived in the United States. In the United States there have been and still are many hate groups. Many think that after the civil rights movement African Americans and whites people got along perfectly; however, there are many stories on how white people have been disgracing African Americans. There were many types of protesting during this time. Some protest involved violent and some involved non-violent protesting. Many influential people were here at the time such as: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. There were also many hate groups at the time that tried to erase the African American population. During this time there were many rights that were violated during the civil rights movement. Many amendments were also made to stop the segregation such as the 14th and 15th amendment. The civil rights movement was a mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States that came to national prominence during the mid-1950s. This was in the roots of centuries-long efforts of African slaves. (Carson, 2015) The south was worse than the north about how this. The civil rights movement was about of the Jim Crow laws...
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...In the time of the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans faced intense discrimination, unjust segregation, widespread poverty, and police brutality. In the fight for justice, many forms of protesting ensued, both violent and nonviolent. Two prominent leaders marked their names in history with opposing forms of demanding freedom and equality. In the beginning of the movement, Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the SCLC, set the stage for spiritually aggressive non-violent protesting. Malcolm X, on the other side, preached the importance of defending themselves and breaking away from the oppressors denying them their freedoms. Malcolm X, member of the Nation of Islam, preached against the idea of integration and “[forcing themselves] on...
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...Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X – So Similar yet So Different The Civil Rights movement in the United States was a long struggle that sought to win equality for every American under the law. The movement spanned many years of heartache and violence as it exposed the racism and segregation that had taken hold of the nation. It was during this struggle that two great men stepped forward to lead. Although their methods of leadership were different, their goal was the same – equality for all African-American. These two men, two great African-American heroes, were named Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr., born on January 15, 1929 as Michael King, was a pastor, activist, humanitarian and leader in the Civil Right Movement. He led many protests, namely the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 and the 1963 March on Washington, at which he delivered his famous “I have a Dream” speech. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was in direct relation to Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a bus. The Boycott was effective as the US District Court ruled to end racial segregation on all Montgomery public buses. Similarly, Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little and later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was a Muslim minister and human rights activist. He was most recognized for his courageous advocating for the rights of black Americans and his words are believed to have been fodder for the Black Panther Party who sought to fight against police brutality...
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...Struggles of the Civil Rights Movement Jason Mitchell Southern New Hampshire University The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was a powerful political movement that not only spurred for change for the people of the African American race, but for other minority races as well. This movement peaked in the 1950’s and lasted through the ending of the 1960s. Through the numerous arrests of individuals, protests, and sit-ins around the country, marchers for a better way of living marched on. The main country that was mostly affected by the Civil Rights Movement was the United States of America. The 1954 decision of Brown v. Board of Education, 1963 March on Washington was just a corner piece of one of the biggest movement to ever happen in the US. One of America’s most notable court cases, Brown v. Board of Education, changed the mindset of so many people. From December 1952-May 1954 the case brought different viewpoints that supported the case, but it also brought negative support as well. Before the 1954 decision that ruled separate educational institutions unequal, that was the court case of Plessy vs. Ferguson of 1896 that argued that state laws should establish separate public schools for black and white children. Many people thought that Plessy vs. Ferguson was the backstage scene for the Civil Rights Movement, but others disagree. The “Separate but Equal” idea remained in America until the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education. The Civil Rights Movement called for...
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...Running head: CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 1 Civil Rights in the sixties Michael Crawford HIS/145 December 1, 2011 Amy Linimon Civil Rights in the sixties Civil Rights Movement: An Introduction America was a country borne out of a group of people's desire for Freedom from oppression, under the Lockean belief of human equality. Despite this however, discrimination & racism coloured American history. Indeed, it wasn't until the early part of the 20th century when the American Legal System formally recognized African Americans as 'citizens'. In America then, how are minorities seen? Remember that America was born out of the former New England Colonies that were once under the British. Therefore, America is predominantly made up of Anglo-Europeans who can trace their roots back to Europe & the Colonial Period. In the 1950's, any group that are not equally represented & enjoying the same rights & privileges under the protection of the American constitution or could but due to ethnicity & other factors are discriminated against is considered a minority. Women since the birth of the nation have struggled for gender equality, hence back then they were also considered a 'minority'. Even in the There were of course the African-Americans who were big players in the Civil Rights movement. The American Indians are also considered minorities although they were not as politically visible as pushing for the civil rights movement as the feminists & the African Americans (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther...
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...Kenya Davis Ms. Howard Sociology 02 March 2016 MLK Jr vs Malcolm X Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had many similarities and differences when it came to their roles in the civil rights movement. A huge similarity of the two is they fought hard for their people with getting treated bad. They both wanted to see black people in the best position possible. Risking their lives everyday for the rights they felt they deserve. They were both assassinated because of their leadership role positions they played during this time. Even though they had different beliefs/religions, both their religions played a significant role in their approaches. They both had the greatest impact on the civil rights movement during the 1960s. One of the main reasons why Malcolm X and MLK Jr is different is their approach to the civil rights movement. While MLK Jr wanted to keep the peace and have a non-violent protest, Malcolm X was very opposite. Malcolm X felt that if they wanted to be violent then so should his people. Also, MLK Jr thought more of people being equal and Malcolm X was more for his people being in high power and being controlled by themselves. Also, their religion was a extremely huge difference and had an impact on the way they went about things. MLK Jr grew up in a Christian home where his parents stressed necessary things such as education and religion. Malcolm X converted to Islam after being arrested for drugs and burglary. His outlook on things were far more violent...
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...HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL RIGHTS Civil rights, equality, freedom. These are things that African Americans have fought for since their enslavement. But long after black slavery had been abolished, racism had always remained and to this day still has a subtle affect in the Deep South. In the 1960's, though, the movement towards civil rights had its strongest impact on America. In that time, its outlook on approaching the matter had changed dramatically, as did its goals and support. Ultimately, these new approaches, along with support from unexpected sources, led to a new definition that are deeper then the jurisdiction of the government, human rights. These rights are something that a man has by dint of his having been born. The civil rights movement was a time when a people who where oppressed for many years, rose up against the odds and achieved their freedom. An admirable aspect of the civil rights movement was the un-achievable victory that the African Americans sought after and made. Through determination, persistence, and courage, the African Americans won their independence. They stared down the lions throat and managed to escape with only a few scars and should be honorably admired for their integrity and will to fight for what is right. What is the reason for so much hatred? The African Americans were frustrated by the unending prejudice, racism, and inequality received from the "white man." When Rosa Parks was asked to give up her seat to a white woman, she refused because...
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