Malcolm X Essay

Malcolm was however assassinated in 1965 at Harlem by a Black Muslim individual. After his death, the Autobiography by Malcolm X became a bestseller and the ideologies in the book helped form a foundation for the Black Power movement (Bascom). Malcolm X, an outspoken activist from the Black Muslim movement that readily challenged the civil rights movement at the time. Unlike his predecessor Martin Luther, who nonviolently pursued the same interest as him, Malcolm X, was very radical, outspoken and courageous, because most of his speeches or public address he always used extreme words to represent the urgency for change in how the African Americans were being treated at the time. However, some of the struggles faced then are faced now too. He started working towards an America that would treat blacks equally to the whites.

It was evident that a lot of his rhetoric was based on Mohammed’s teachings as he often argued that only the black people could solve their problems. In his fight for equality, his sentiments on self-defense as well as racism elicited a host of feelings including fear and admiration from opposing sides in the country. Most of the whites feared the fact that he would mention the atrocities performed against his people in an attempt to evoke feelings of rage in the African Americans. However, most people often contrasted him to Martin Luther King, although they fought for almost the same ideology of freedom his approach was more philosophical. The speech also included other relevant topics such as economics, politics, self-defense, and unification. All these subtopics leaned heavily on the theme that all these factors were to be achieved “By Any Means Necessary” (Perry).

I believe the aim of the theme was not to invoke a sense of war or fight but to invoke feelings of self-reliance in the black community. To create a deeper sense of self-belief and independence from the ideologies of the white people. Besides, the speech was held in Harlem, a place that had the highest percentage of black people in the United States. He stated that the enlightening of the blacks to their philosophy would encourage them in understanding what they were entitled to as Americans. Another example of the growing influence Malcolm X had was the speech “The ballot or the bullet” which was among his final speeches. Besides, it is believed to be the most misunderstood speech of the 20th century (Bascom). This is because even the title of the speech itself was controversial.

It was delivered from Detroit and unlike what many purport it meant, I believe that the speech was meant to warn the blacks from blindly following the white people. In my opinion that is why he refers to the use of violence in some his work. He felt that at the time it was necessary to struggle” By Any Means Necessary” to attain freedom for all races in humanity. Notably, his speeches were meant to include the rights of every black person and not just those that were living in America. Works Cited Bascom, Lionel C. Voices of the African American Experience [3 Volumes]. com/2014/04/10/politics/civil-rights-act-interesting-facts/index. html. Accessed 15 May 2018 Perry, B. Malcom X, The Last Speeches. Pathfinder, 1989, pp.