Preview

African American Civil Rights And Equality Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1027 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
African American Civil Rights And Equality Research Paper
African American Civil right and Equality
Tara Faircloth
HIS 204
Mr. Galano
October 28, 2011

The topic I have chosen to write about is how African Americans worked to end segregation, discrimination, and isolation to obtain equality and civil rights. Ever since the African Americans were slaves they have had to come a long way to get where they are today. Some have even held positions in political offices, managed corporations, and gained all the rights that everyone else has. But, it’s never always been that way. African Americans were treated unjustly and had to go through things that most people cannot understand and have never had to endure. Over the generations African Americans have had to deal with many different struggles.
…show more content…

was an American activist, clergyman, as well as a leader in the African American Civil Rights Movement. He is to this day still known as an iconic figure for the advancement of civil rights within the United States and in other parts of the world, as well as for using nonviolent methods that he learned from Gandhi’s teachings. Martin Luther King Jr. is made to be a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism. When King started the civil rights movement he was a pastor at a Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, for just over a year when the civil rights advocate contested racial segregation on city buses. The activists followed King and formed the Montgomery Improvement Association which boycotted the transit system. Finally, since the African Americans were ready to do something to support their rights they followed Kings Advice to “work with grim and firm determination to gain justice on the buses in the city”. He was respected and it was thought that his family connections and professional standing would enable him to find other pastorates, if the boycott was to fail. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot standing outside on the balcony of his second story hotel room. The bullet went through his check smashing his jaw, and then went through his spinal cord just before it lodged inside his shoulder. Martin Luther King Jr. was pronounced dead later that …show more content…

there were also violent acts that were the strategies of Malcolm X who went by a strict principle of violence to get even with the whites that committed crimes against the African Americans. Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the son of a Baptist minister, who was an admirer of Marcus Garvey. Garvey was the African American Nationalist leader back in the 1920’s the advocated the “back-to-Africa” movement. Malcolm’s family had to move around a lot because they were harassed by the Ku Klux Klan. For example, their home in Michigan was set on fire by the Ku Klux Klan which resulted in his father’s death. At the age of fifteen Malcolm began a criminal life of gambling, selling drugs, burglary, and hustling. In 1946, Malcolm was given ten years in prison for burglary at this time is when he began to transform his life. He transformed his life by studying the teachings of Muhammad and practicing this religion faithfully. After he expanded his vocabulary he began to understand the racial teachings of his new found religion; which believed the white man was evil, and they were doomed by Allah and that the best things for the black man to do was to separate himself from Western, white civilization-culturally, politically, physically, and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X believed in violence, and criticized King’s beliefs and methods. This is because he felt that King wasn’t doing enough for the black community, and that violence would make it happen faster. In source 14, Malcolm X gives his opinions on violence and non violence, ‘You haven’t got a revelation that doesn’t involve bloodshed. And you’re afraid to bleed. I said, you’re afraid to bleed.’ It could be argued that Malcolm feels that most black people are cowardly and are failing to stand up for themselves. He also believes…

    • 2110 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Malcolm’s mom was part white, so Malcolm was born the lightest of all the children and experienced discrimination within his family. His father was brainwashed to think that anything closer to being white was better, so he treated Malcolm the best while his mother, hated the fact that she had “white rapist blood” in her and treated Malcolm the worst, because he was a constant reminder of it. When he moved to Boston, he saw all around him, a bunch of brainwashed black people. “They prided themselves on being incomparably more “cultured,” “cultivated,” “dignified,” and better off than their black brethren down in the ghetto, which was no further away then you could throw a rock” (Haley 42). Malcolm had very strong opinions about white people and black people, and liked to spread what he believed in which made him fit to be a Civil Rights leader. -Pearl…

    • 2021 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    fought for the betterment of African Americans but when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, all hope for racial justice seemed lost. King sought out to end segregation amongst the whites and the blacks with non-violent methods such as “the use of boycotts and the vote to create a lever for change” (Peterson 1-2). With that being said, King never saw violence as a solution to any problems for he felt that “riots [never] won any concrete improvement as have the organised protest demonstrations” (Peterson 2). His assassination sparked the on-going tension amongst whites and blacks resumes along with a lost voice for violent and non-violent solutions. Immediately after, the death of Martin Luther King did not result in a more united America, but an America left momentarily unchanged for the…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X did not start out as the leader of a great muslim civil rights movement as we all know of him as today. In fact he started out as a crook primarily due to his mother and father not being around. At the age of 6 Malcolm's “father went out one evening to collect a debt, only to be hit by a streetcar and mortally wounded. Though the authorities ruled his death an accident, African-Americans in town believed the Black Legion had beat him and placed him on the tracks to be run over. To this day, no one knows for sure. Malcolm also lost other relatives to violence, including an uncle he said was lynched by whites.” At the time the great depression hovered over all citizens of The United States and it was very hard for Malcolm's Mother to supply for his 10 relatives.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Morgan Mcbride

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When it comes Malcolm X’s, also known as El- Hajj Malik El- Shabazz, an African American Muslim minister and human rights activists, his approach was very bitter towards the situation. The way he was raised and brought up made him very angry towards the whites and how they treated him. His philosophy when putting an end to racism leaned more towards being violent rather than killing people with kindness and nonviolent methods. Malcolm once said,…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X was a very outspoken speaker whose beliefs were sometimes considered “controversial”. “Malcolm X was suspended by Elijah Muhammad as the spokesperson of the Nation of Islam because of the statements he made about John F. Kennedy’s assassination” (Morrison para.6). He made some controversial comments about Kennedy’s decisions while in presidency. Malcolm X had many enemies that he even knew about. He even addressed his self as a “marked man” a few times. On February 21, 1965, he was giving a speech to introduce his new ideas about creating another group. “He was shot while giving a speech about one of his new organizations” (Felber para.4). It was not long before the meeting started that a brawl broke out and guns started shooting. X was shot multiple times in front of his family and later…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X was, well, a lot different. As Martin was remembered by everyone happily, most people tried to forget Malcolm. After being sent to prison for drug use he was converted to Islam and prior to that was pro segregation. But after his pilgrimage to Mecca decided that he wanted to be treated equally. Malcolm was known for his boldness, he is often tagged with the quote “To do whatever it takes.” Meaning that he would do whatever it took to be considered equal. This usually led to less peaceful acts of protesting, plus he was more interested in spreading “black pride”. He was assassinated by members of the Black Muslim movement on February 21, 1965.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X Challenges

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The strong beliefs of Islam and the hatred of the whites caused upheaval in society, and it even threatened Malcolm’s credibility as a devout Muslim leader. However, through all of the chaos and threats, Malcolm was able to disregard all of the attacks because of strong to his Islamic beliefs and piety towards Allah.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Was Malcolm X Unjust

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Malcolm was a strong believer of self defense . He was known for causing violent protest and many ridiculed him for his past which was full of crime. Malcolm told his followers that they needed to defend themselves to the fullest by any means necessary. When asked about the issue he said "It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself, when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. It is legal and lawful to own a shotgun or a rifle. We believe in obeying the law." Malcolm X was taught by his Muslim leader that beloved that the white man was the devil . However after going on a trip to Mecca he was enlightened and saw that the blacks and whites there loved each other and tested each other like they were of the same color. He later returned to the US with a changed heart and went about creating peace with…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    was a civil rights activist who fought for the equal rights of African Americans, and he was very well known for his non-violence movements. He was originally a Baptist minister, with a degree in sociology and a doctorate from Boston University. King started his civil rights movement around 1955, when a woman named Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to other white citizens. This was only the beginning, which fueled King to gather other African Americans and start a civil rights movement to protest for their rights. MLK Jr. from this point onwards, did many protests marching in the streets with the rest of the African American community. One of his biggest moral belief was non-violence, he urged all his followers to protest without any sort of vandalism or violence. He believed that would only affect them negatively, and in order to actually succeed in this mission was to protest without any sort of destruction. One of the things he did was leading a 382-day bus boycott, which meant walking to work everyday for that time. During this time he also experienced violence, harassment, intimidation, and his home was attacked (nobelprize.org). Although out this time he never retaliated in any manner, instead he fought back using the law. He fought these cases by bringing them to court and fighting them legally. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. organized a public demonstration in Alabama, where hundreds of people attended with their families (biography.com). King was then arrested along with many other supporters, although they had done nothing wrong or illegal. Even than he encouraged all of his supporters to remain in a non-violence movement, one quote from him at the time was “nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community, which has constantly refused to negotiate, is forced to confront the issue”…

    • 1926 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Malcolm X Research Paper

    • 3365 Words
    • 14 Pages

    The Islamic faith promoted strict moral purity and the superiority of the black race (Baughman). Malcolm X was assigned to lead Temple No. 7 in Harlem and became the dominate National Spokesman for the Black Muslims. By 1963 he was becoming well-known by the public. He was appearing on television; cover of newspapers and in public forms. His philosophy was “any means necessary” in order for the African American race to achieve their freedom. He urged the black community to give up the Christian religion and reject integration (Gale). He supported black separatism and advised the black Americans to “take up arms in self-defense against the white hostility” (Malcolm X). In one of his speeches he said “Afro Americans should not be victims any longer…bloodshed is a two way street…dying is a two way street… killing is a two way street” (Malcolm X). He spoke words of authority that created fear among the whites and hope among the blacks. He had a voice that influenced people to listen at what he had to say. Malcolm X‘s voice changed the Nation of Islam from Six hundred people in 1952 to about 30,000 in 1963. (Headrick) The only way he knew to get his point across to the white society was to encourage violence amongst the black community. This was the only way to make the white society see the black people as equals in their society. He also preached that the black community should fight back. If someone hits you then you should hit them back. That is what Malcolm said to people. But, Dr. King was teaching people to turn the other cheek. He made the black society believe in what is right and what is wrong. He made them see what the white society was doing to the black community was wrong. He taught the black community how to think, and when he changed the minds of the black people things were bound to happen to change the world, whether it was good…

    • 3365 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X

    • 588 Words
    • 2 Pages

    African Americans are a big part of the American society. There are many of them who have made either a positive or negative impact on the American society. One of them is African American civil rights leader, Malcolm X. He was a major 20th-century spokesman for Black Nationalism. Malcolm X was born as Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a Baptist minister and was an outspoken follower of Marcus Garvey who was the Black Nationalist leader in the 1920s who advocated a "back-to-Africa" movement for African Americans. Malcolm X started working as a shoeshine boy, soda jerk, busboy, waiter, and railroad dining car waiter in Boston while he was living with his sister. At this point he began to start a criminal life that included gambling, selling drugs, burglary, and hustling. In 1946, Malcolm X was arrested and got 10 years for burglary. He disliked whites and wanted black people to stay separate from them and their society. He blamed the white race and the United States government for every problem that the black people had. In prison, he began to transform his life and switch it around. He began to study Muhammad's teachings and began to practice the religion faithfully. He also extended his vocabulary by copying words from the dictionary, starting from A and ending at Z. He began to learn and acknowledge the racial teachings of his new religion. When he started seeing the children of the leader of the Black Muslims, he started questioning people and their actual beliefs. In 1952 Malcolm was released from prison and went to Chicago to meet Elijah Muhammad. He found something out, that the whites believed in the real Muslim faith. At this time he realized that not all white people were evil and devils.…

    • 588 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through out history there has been a struggle for African Americans to be accepted in our society. An African American endures many more disadvantages than most white people. The media and other sources have made blacks to look the same and has portrayed them in a certain light that may not be fitting to all blacks. There are many misconceptions that people have of blacks. Many people and organizations have had a part in bringing equality and fighting for equal rights for black people.…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There were laws that were finally passed to help African Americans such as, “Civil Rights Act of 1866 - Declared that all persons born in the United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition” Civil Rights Act of 1871 - Designed to protect southern blacks from the Ku Klux Klan by providing a civil remedy for abuses then being committed in the South”. “Brown v. Board of Education - composed of four cases arising from states and a related federal case arising from the District of Columbia”(African American legislation laws). These are a few laws that were passed to help African Americans gain some freedom in life. It paved the way for these people to become “equal” In education and everyday aspect in…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century was a transformative period in history of America. Through methods of nonviolent protest, leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to challenge the segregation and discrimination facing African Americans. Through the success of the Civil Rights Movement, victories and advances in political, social, and economic equality have been made for not only African Americans, but also women, Asian Americans, and other minority groups in American society.…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays