Assassination of Malcolm X

A detailed Summary of Assassination of Malcolm X

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19. 1925. Growing up in Omaha was very tough for young Malcolm. He was constantly harassed by the white's living in his area. At age six, his father was found dead, possible murdered. The police report claimed it was an accident, but Malcolm believed that his father was beaten unconscientious the thrown into the railroad tracks only to be run over by a train later that night. After his father's death, his mother suffered a severe nervous breakdown which caused his family to be separated by welfare agencies. With his father dead and family gone, Malcolm's hatred towards white people continued to escalate.

As a teenager, Malcolm made his way into New York City and became a hustler and a criminal. He was eventually caught and in 1946 was sentenced to jail for burglary for ten years. He only served six years in jail, but his time there was important. He began to self educate himself by copying every word from an abridged dictionary from cover to back. He joined the Black Muslims while in jail, an important organization which would later be the downfall of his life. In 1952, while on parole, he took the name of Malcolm X, which he claimed the X symbolized his tr

The three assassins were Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson. Butler and Johnson were members of the Nation of Islam, while Talmadge was not. All three received a life sentence for murder. It was thought by many, including the police, that this act was set up by Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam.

The 60's would be an important decade for Malcolm X, it would be his last. During this time, civil rights movements gave a lot of publicity to blacks struggling for equal rights. The Nation of Islam, formally the Black Muslims, was a much more militant organization then of Martin Luther King Jr.'s organizations. They thought that King's ideals were too weak and power must be used one way or another to get the job done. Malcolm's self education paid off as he became the first "national minister" of the Nation of Islam. He became the un-official spokesperson for the organization. His speeches were fearsome and violent towards white people and other races. His success at the Nation of Islam was so great that the leader, Elijah Muhammad, disliked him and became threatened by Malcolm's sudden rise to power. In fact, Elijah was waiting for the right chance when Malcolm would make a mistake so that he could be removed from the organization.

The assassination of Malcolm X affected history. He could have been one of the leader's in the success of equal rights if his life had not been ended so shortly. He didn't reach the popularity o

Some common words found in the essay are:
Growing Omaha, Nation Islam, Malcolm X's, York Malcolm, Black Muslims, Africa Muslim's, York City, John Kennedy, Luther King, Elijah Muhammad, nation islam, equal rights, white people, body guards, martin luther king, luther king, martin luther, towards white, black muslims, elijah muhammad, towards white people,

Approximate Word count = 994
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History