Preview

How Is Malcolm X Assassination Justified

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
470 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Is Malcolm X Assassination Justified
The Assassination of Malcolm X Malcolm Little also known as Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965 in New York City. Black Muslims are said to be the accomplices of his murder. One of their members, Thomas Hagan, was charged with shooting Malcolm X at the Audubon Ballroom. Two other men were convicted with Hagan for the murder of X. The assassination of Malcolm X was unjustified because he was an influential civil rights activist that helped African Americans in their journey to equality; however, rival Black Muslims believed that he was uncontrollable so their needed to be a way to stop him. Even though some people thought that Malcolm X was an “uncompromising” leader, he was a very vital participant in the civil rights movement. He didn’t follow the nonviolent movement. “Instead of nonviolence in the face of anti-black attacks, he called for self-defense” (Ali, para.3). This supports his famous quote “by any means necessary”. According to Zaheer Ali, X wanted to bring all African-American people together and create a …show more content…
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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Malcolm X, Detroit Red, Satan, and El Hajji Malik El-Shabazz. Although, Malcolm was the main character throughout the autobiography. These were the various names used by the prominent African-American civil rights activist, Malcolm X, during the various stages throughout his life. Malcolm Little, officially known as Malcolm X, was the son Louise Helen Little and Earl Little and was born on May 19, 1925. He was the fourth out of seven children and also had the brightest skin complexion out of all the children so as a child that led him to believe that he was treated better by his father, and evaded many of the beatings suffered by his siblings daily. Despite his bright skin complexion, Malcolm still encountered…

    • 142 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Today we have lost a legacy. Malcolm X was one of the greatest influential African Americans the world has ever known. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated after delivering a speech to the Organisation (the spelling used by the group) of African-American Unity at Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom in New York City at the age of 39 at 3:10 p.m. While in the midst of giving his speech a disturbance occurred. Malcolm X tried to have the men take their seats and that is when the shots were fired. Malcom X was shot 15 times at point blank range. The shots were located on Malcolm X’s chest and face. He was declared dead at the Vanderbilt Clinic of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center within 15 minutes of the attack. Three men were involved in the assassination, Talmadge Hayer (a.k.a. Thomas Hagan), Norman Butler and Thomas Johnson. Hagan, one of the gunmen, was wounded at the Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X was assassinated earlier in the day. Hagan was beaten by the crowd before police arrived. All three men were convicted in March 1966 and sentenced to life in prison. Police believed the murder detail consisted of at least five men,…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Celeste Michelle Condit & John Louis Lucaites argues that, Malcolm X the most thorough and relentless revolutionary dissident of the 1960s, who loudly implored his Black brothers and sisters to use “all means necessary” to bring about social and political justice and equality for Black America. It was impossible to know whether or not Malcolm X’s evolutionary vision would ever have produced a positive and peaceful program of political action capable of effectively organizing, motivating, and directing Black America against the system that oppressed it, for he was robbed of the opportunity to try at the age of 39.…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The nation of Islam started to believe Malcom was creating aliances with African Ameriacans. Malcom later suspended and silenced by the Nation od Islam for 90 days after he gave a speech entitled “Gods view on white America.” One year later in March of 1964 Malcom announced his official departure from the nation od Islam. After announcing his departure from the nation of Islam Malcom became paranoid. “Im a marked man.” Malcom stated in an interview. Malcom X already knew that somebody was after him and that he was a target for assassination. On February 21,1965 Malcom was shot to death by members of the nation of Islam. Malcom X was killed by the very men he supported and trusted. One would think Malcom was assassinated because he had strong alliances with African Americans and the nation of Islam felt betrayed or nervous for their own safety. Therefore Malcom X’s assassination was justified because he was a threat to many and feared by…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The death of the great Malcolm X was a most tragic day. On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was preparing to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom where he was gunned down by three men, one of the gunmen was a member of the Nation of Islam Talmadge Hayer (Journal, 2014). Malcolm X was a great leader not because he wanted equality but because he wanted unity among blacks in America. His words were mush wiser than those of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This is because Mr. X wasn’t afraid to take actions were deemed necessary. Though peace is good, can one really fight violence with peace? This is the question I believe Malcolm X was trying to answer. As many whites try to stop our movement by violence and murder Malcolm X was the only one courageous enough to give them a taste of their own medicine! Some might argue that Malcolm X’s…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm believed that “by any means necessary” blacks should be treated equal. Furthemore, Malcolm was an inspiration to the black community. Malcolm believed in fighting back and defending oneself, unlike King. Malcolm encouraged followers to use self defense. He was against the nonviolent movement.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.” Malcolm X’s opinions and personal experiences reflect what he thinks of people. As a young child growing up, his troubled experiences caused him to view the whites in a negative way. However, he was a believer of Islam and converted because he believed followers didn’t…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Malcolm X History

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Civil Rights Activist, Malcolm X was born as Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, the fourth of eight children born to Louise and Earl Little. Louise was a homemaker and Earl was a preacher who was also an active member of the local chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and avid supporter of the Black Nationalist leader”. (Marcus Garvey). Because of Earl Little 's civil rights activism, the family faced frequent harassment from white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and one of its splinter factions, the Black Legion. In fact, Malcolm X had his first encounter with racism before he was even born. "When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later," he said, "a party of hooded Ku Klux Klan riders galloped up to our home... Brandishing their shotguns and rifles, they shouted for my father to come out." The harassment continued; when Malcolm X was four years old, local Klan members smashed all of the family 's windows, causing Earl Little to decide to move the family from Omaha to East Lansing, Michigan. However, the racism the family encountered in East Lansing proved even greater than in Omaha. Shortly after the Little’s moved in, in 1929, a racist mob set their house on fire, and the town 's all-white emergency responders refused to do anything. "The white police and firemen came and stood around watching as the house burned to the ground," Malcolm X remembered. Two years later, in 1931, things got much, much worse. Earl Little 's dead body was discovered laid out on the municipal streetcar tracks. Although Malcolm X 's father was very likely murdered by white supremacists, from which he had received frequent death threats, the police officially ruled his death a suicide. Malcolm X attended West Junior High School, where he was the school 's only black student. He excelled academically and was well liked by his classmates, who elected him class…

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X Activism

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages

    He was still a target to most members of the Nation and had been marked for assassination. They were various attacks on him and his family, for instance planting bombs and firebombing his home where his wife and six children resided. After these attacks, his enemies were still out for vengeance. Malcolm had just ended speaking at the Manhattan Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, when three gunmen shot him on stage. He was rushed to the New York Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and was pronounced dead upon his arrival. Malcolm had a funeral service on February twenty seventh, 1965 at the Faith Temple Church of God in Christ. Fifteen hundred people attended his funeral and buried Malcolm themselves. The three gunmen who shot him were all members of the Nation of Islam. All there were convicted of first-degree murder in 1966…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Malcolm X had a troubled early life. His father died in a car accident when he was young and his family became poor after that. Malcolm ended in a foster home where he became rebellious and was put in a detention center. After he got out of the detention center he became involved in crime and was punished for 10 years in prison for stealing and drugs. While in prison he became an Islamic and joined the Nation of Islam. After getting out of prison he became the Nations second in Command and began public speaking encouraging black power.…

    • 99 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything” One of many quotes Malcolm X said in during his speeches before being assassinated on February 21, 1965 by a black Muslim moments before giving a speech in Washington. The assassination of Malcolm X was just because he believed in racial separation, violence and tried to change the basic muslim beliefs.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Malcolm x was suspended from the black muslims in 1963 for saying “the chickens coming home to roost” when President john f. Kennedy was Assassinated.Malcolm X influenced the SNCC to call for black power amongst Black people.In eighth grade, Malcolm dropped out of school, and headed for a life of crime.At the age of 21 he was arrested for bulgary where he found his way to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad who was part of the black muslims.He became a loyal disciple and adopted X–symbolic of a stolen identity–as his last name.Turning to an ascetic way of life and reading widely, he began to overcome the degradation he had known.Malcolm’s father was slain by the Klan-like Black Legionaries. Although he was found with his head crushed on one side…

    • 148 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X was not like other leaders in the civil rights movement. Others such as Martin Luther King Jr. relied heavily on the idea that nothing could be accomplished if violence was used to retaliate. Malcolm did not feel the same. Malcolm felt that black people should try and defend themselves from racism “by any means necessary”. (Biography.com Editors) Part of this willingness for violence can possibly be contributed to Malcolm X’s past. When Malcolm’s mother was still pregnant with him, his house was visited by The KKK and…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His preaching of pride and meaning of black Islam, which contributed greatly to the Black Power Movement and Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. He also sought to instill racial pride in black people by glorifying African black history and blaming the distress of the American Negroes due to the mistreatment at the hands of the white man. Malcolm was a man blessed with wit, charisma, and intelligence therefore wherever he went he got plenty of attention, and the words he spoke gloried African Americans. Manning gave insight that Malcolm was an not an advocate of violence but rather that of self-defense. He also encouraged black people to help themselves through enterprise and overcoming their vices, thus influencing the past, present, and future African Americans communities for…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X was a prominent figure during the Civil Rights era. Offering an alternative view to…

    • 1154 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays