Essay Malcom X and Non-violence - 1008 Words

My life has always been one of changes (436). Malcolm X, throughout his life, was one of the most influential, and quite possibly the most effective, civil rights activists of the twentieth century. His radical ideas and views were widely sought after from the oppressed African-American population in the 1950s and 60s. The changes he underwent throughout his life affected his views of a racist America and inspired him to lead a dedicated life preaching, what he thought to be, the only method of promoting change in the hearts and minds of every citizen in the United States; nonviolence. The issue of violence loomed large in Malcolm Xs rhetoric. In his speechs and public appearances he refused to repudiate violence, realizing that†¦show more content†¦Anger and confusion were two very prominent themes throughout Malcolms life with first, the death of his father, and then the removal of his mother from their family, also under a white mans order. Upon his arrival in Bosto n, Malcolm developed a strong criticism for the prejudice within the black community that had arose in the early 1940s. He was surprised to find the judgmental nature both classes had for each other in an attempt to increase their own status in artificial ways. Though Hill Negroes arguably had a better quality of life than the many unemployed black residents of Boston, their unwillingness to acknowledge the menial nature of their jobs while they look down on the poorer blacks makes them just as snobbish as the racist whites. Violence, ultimately, became a dominant force in Malcolms life when he moved to the Harlem ghettos. His anger and hostility was slowly directed from the black population towards white America, but at the same time he blamed the black community draining the black ghetto of wealth. Malcolm believed that wealthy white people not only exploited poor blacks on a daily basis, but also contribute to the profound lack of opportunity in Harlem. It is for this reason he begins to blame the white community for driving them into the spiral of crime, drugs, deceit, and poverty, giving them no other option than the hustlers life; it wasnt much longer that Malcolm, himself, started to run numbers across the cityShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay1402 Words   |  6 Pagesexercising their constitutional right to protest. I would have joined the other group that was advocating for the use of violence. I agree with his overall goal to establish a just society wh ere all races are treated equally. At some point one must defend himself the way he sees fit. I would have joined the group of blacks in the camp of Malcom x and Alijah Mohammed. In 1964 Malcom broke away from Black Panthers, which led to his assassination .when faced with that kind of brutality from the policeRead MoreI Have A Dream By Martin Luther King876 Words   |  4 Pagesinto physical violence. Instead of acting out of discipline the people should act out dignity. Black and whites should be able to join hands to together and live peacefully among one another. Colored people will be able to get along non-colored people as friends and families. Every citizen, blacks and whites, will be able to go to school together, use the same bathroom together, sit together, and live together. Everything will be peaceful for every citizen of America. While Malcom X was in the NationRead MoreFighting Inequality and Oppression with Non-Violence Is always the Best Policy627 Words   |  3 Pagesitself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and imprisonment.† (Mahatma Gandhi) Since Americas independence until today people try to find different approaches to defeat the inequality and the oppression. An old traditional thought is that violence can only be treated with violence, there is no room leftRead MoreViolence and The Views of Malcolm X928 Words   |  4 Pagescannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding†. One of my favorite quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the leading figure in the transcendentalism. Going by what the quote states, one can ask what role does violence even play in life? More specifically what role did it play in the Civil Rights struggle in the South? It’s evident that violence’s purpose in the struggle wasn’t for peace but for something else. Well that’s what it was for Malcolm X, a center figure in theRead MoreMalcolm X : An Extraordinary Figure For African Americans1647 Words   |  7 Pages Malcolm X is an extraordinary figure for African Americans. He is one of the most historic and significant human beings in American history. Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise Little, was 28 years young and his father Earl Little was an outspoken Baptist minister and supporter of Marcus Garvey s â€Å"Back to Africa Movement†. Malcom had 3 half siblings from his father’s previous marriage and later 6 additional kids. His push for Civil Right made him a targetRead MoreWho knew the two most powerful African Americans that influence countless of people in history and700 Words   |  3 Pagesissued a court injunction to prohibit the civil rights marches in Birmingham. Whereas, Malcolm x was arrested for burglary while trying to pick up a stolen watch he had left for repairs at a jewelry shop. The fight for civil right was taken in the 1960s, where racism was a problem. Whites discriminated blacks because they thought they werent equal to them. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X come in, they are well known African Americans leaders who fought for what they believed, inRead MoreA Comparison Of Malcom X And Martin Luther King Jr.735 Words   |  3 Pagesgranted basic rights through the 14th and 15th amendment. These rights struggled to be locked in place and federally protected for the next century. Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. were two of the many icons this century to come. Which had both come from two different backgrounds and beliefs but had the same exact goal. Malcom X is also known as Malcom Little was a Civil Rights icon. Born May 19th, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska he was the fourth of eight children. His father was a supporter of the BlackRead MoreComparison of Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcom X1700 Words   |  7 Pagesdo it is with a ballot or a bullet. And if you re not ready to get involved with either one of those, you are satisfied with the status quo. That means we ll have to change you. (Malcom X) While Martin Luther King promoted non-violence, civil rights, and the end to racial segregation, a man of the name of Malcom X dreamed of a separate nation. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the conscience of his generation. A Southerner, a black man, he gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that theRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King And Lewis And The Civil Rights Movement1033 Words   |  5 Pagesmethods were too forceful, many who called for more negotiation, many who were complacent with the state of things. Inversely, many felt Lewis and King were too timid, to them nonviolence was at times a joke, many such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X who touted more violent methods. Those who believed that they should do anything necessary to achieve freedom. As you can see there were many opposing ideologies on how to achieve equal rights with the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis was the bridge betweenRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.1650 Words   |  7 Pagesthis coverage, King also advocated a strict non-violence policy. His methods played a key role in desegregating cities throughout the South, including Birmingham, as well as in the passing of the voting rights act. This strategy for protest is still widely used today, namely in large parts of the Black Lives Matter movement. King’s style of peaceful civil disobedience is highly effective, allowing enough disobedience to gain attention, while avoiding violence to maintain sympathy and discussion. One