Why is Malcolm X significant to U.S. History?
“By any means necessary.” These are the words of one of the most controversial human rights activist of U.S. history, Malcolm X. Malcolm X advocated justice for blacks who were unjustly treated by legal and social authority. He showed individuals that African American people could be articulate and highly intellectual. Many stated that “since he had been a thug, an addict and a thief, and an ex-convict he had made no contributions whatever to society” (Clarke 11). Yet, in reality, Malcolm X cannot be summed up in a few convenient phrases, because during his life he went through distinct changes in his philosophies and convictions (LaBlanc 246). Even though he went through many trials and tribulations Malcolm X was significance to US history because he encouraged black men and women to rise up and response to discrimination, segregation and not to accept the status quo of racism.
To get an understanding of the real Malcolm
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Regardless of the Little’s efforts to elude the Legion, their Lansing, Michigan home was burned to the ground. Two years after the devastating fire, Earl’s body was found lying across the town’s trolley tracks. Police ruled both incidents as accidents, but the Little’s were certain that members of the Black Legion were responsible. Louise, Malcolm’s mother, suffered an emotional breakdown several years after the murder of her husband. She was then committed to a mental institution, leaving Malcolm and the rest of her children to split among various foster homes and orphanages. (Biography Malcolm X). Because of this, Malcolm started joining gangs and shit and later was arrested and convicted of burglary charges, which led to him spending ten years in prison. While in prison, he started learning and growing an interest about the Black Muslims and later became a member of the Nation of Islam, NOI (Biography Malcolm