Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925; he was the son of Louise and Earl Little of Omaha, Nebraska. He was a very good student. Before dropping out in the 8th grade, and was even voted class president. After the death of his father at the hand of Klansmen and the infirming of his mother to a mental institution, he moved to Boston. Malcolm got a job as a shoeshine boy, but quickly decided dealing drugs was a much easier way to make money. He eventually moved to New York City, where he became an important member of the black mob. He later got into serious trouble with another gangster and returned to Boston in 1945. In 1946 Malcolm was sentenced to seven years in jail for robbery. While in prison, Malcolm became a follower of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of a small, urban cult, known as the Nation of Islam. Upon his release from prison Malcolm became a key member of the Black Muslim Movement. Under the guidance and teachings of Elijah Mohammed, Malcolm had targeted all whites and blamed them for position of African Americans in society. He referred to the whites as devils, which tried making the standards of blacks even lower than they already were. Malcolm X believed that complete segregation was the only way to end racial problems in America. He also said that all actions committed against blacks in history were due to the white race as a whole. Another one of his claims was that all blacks should move to Africa, and establish some sort of society there. He changed his name from Little to X, because he felt that Little was a name given to his white demon slave masters. Malcolm was a very influential with in the Nation of Islam. But Malcolm X soon questioned some of the views and beliefs, which made Elijah Muhammad and other leaders uneasy. After discovering Elijah Muhammad was having affairs with women in his congregation and that he had several illegitimate children. When Malcolm confronted Elijah about these things, Elijah admitted to them. Malcolm
Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925; he was the son of Louise and Earl Little of Omaha, Nebraska. He was a very good student. Before dropping out in the 8th grade, and was even voted class president. After the death of his father at the hand of Klansmen and the infirming of his mother to a mental institution, he moved to Boston. Malcolm got a job as a shoeshine boy, but quickly decided dealing drugs was a much easier way to make money. He eventually moved to New York City, where he became an important member of the black mob. He later got into serious trouble with another gangster and returned to Boston in 1945. In 1946 Malcolm was sentenced to seven years in jail for robbery. While in prison, Malcolm became a follower of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of a small, urban cult, known as the Nation of Islam. Upon his release from prison Malcolm became a key member of the Black Muslim Movement. Under the guidance and teachings of Elijah Mohammed, Malcolm had targeted all whites and blamed them for position of African Americans in society. He referred to the whites as devils, which tried making the standards of blacks even lower than they already were. Malcolm X believed that complete segregation was the only way to end racial problems in America. He also said that all actions committed against blacks in history were due to the white race as a whole. Another one of his claims was that all blacks should move to Africa, and establish some sort of society there. He changed his name from Little to X, because he felt that Little was a name given to his white demon slave masters. Malcolm was a very influential with in the Nation of Islam. But Malcolm X soon questioned some of the views and beliefs, which made Elijah Muhammad and other leaders uneasy. After discovering Elijah Muhammad was having affairs with women in his congregation and that he had several illegitimate children. When Malcolm confronted Elijah about these things, Elijah admitted to them. Malcolm
Bibliography: X, Malcolm. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Random House Inc., 1965. MSA. Malcolm X. http://www.csun.edu/~hbcsc103/malcolmx.html. Online. Internet Explorer. Internet. 25 September 1999. Schilling, Marcel. http://www.datacomm.ch/schilling/malcolm.html. Online. Internet Explorer. Internet 19 November 2003.