Malcolm X: Leader and Mover

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“Brothers! Brothers, please! This is a house of peace!” These were Malcolm X’s last words before he was assassinated. His childhood was a stressful start and his life ended in a tragedy. Malcolm Little was destined to become great, inspirational, a leader. He was a very smart kid, inspired others to be like him. Most will probably remember him as a threat, a criminal, and an outlaw; but when you observe the bright side of his life, his greatness tends to shine. Even though Malcolm X had a very difficult childhood, he deeply contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.
Indeed, Malcolm X experienced a very rough and stressful childhood. Before he was born, the Ku Klux Klan had attacked his mother even though she was still pregnant with him. Due to this threat, the family had moved to Lansing, Michigan. It didn’t stop there though; the KKK returned again by burning down their house and had hacked Malcolm’s father to death. His mother couldn’t handle the stress that went with raising many kids with barely any money; so she eventually had a nervous breakdown.
In addition to his childhood, Malcolm had a successful middle school life. But it wasn’t long before Malcolm had taken a downturn in his life. He went into a life of crime and drug use. He was given the name “Detroit Red”(Foner). Eventually, Malcolm and his long-time friend, Malcolm "Shorty" Jarvis, moved back to Boston. In 1946, they were arrested and convicted on burglary charges, and Malcolm was sentenced to 10 years in prison, although he was granted parole after serving seven years. When he was 21 years old, he encountered Elijah Muhammad; leader of the Nation of Islam. By 1949, Malcolm had converted to the NOI, which required purity of the body, eliminating Malcolm's drug ha...

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...onvicted of first-degree murder in March 1966. Malcolm was a man of many words, he said in a speech, “ We declare our right on this Earth…to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this Earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.” It would not be long till his principles came to be true.

Works Cited
Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty. "Malcolm X." The Reader's Companion to American History. Dec. 1 1991: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

Simon, John J., and others. "Malcolm X--His Legacy." Monthly Review Vol. 56, No. 9. Feb. 2005: 25-45. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

"Black Panther Party." Black Panther Party. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

"Malcolm X." About.com 20th Century History. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

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