Malcolm X was a prominent civil rights activist in the 1960s who advocated for black nationalism and initially supported the Nation of Islam's teachings. He disagreed with Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence and believed that whites were the enemy. While in prison, Malcolm became interested in the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Malcolm X. He rose to prominence as a minister and spokesman for the group. However, he later split from the Nation of Islam and advocated for pan-Africanism. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca and revised his views on white people before being assassinated in 1965 by Nation of Islam members.

1. http://queenunique.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/malcolmx.jpgMalcolm XAlex Aguebor & Marco Restrepo

2. The Legacyhttp://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/50702240.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=4996399091E8318640A5923769996E4D191F19EEEB4B00E7A large proponent in the civil rights era of the 1960’sOffered an alternative to King’s peace first approach of attaining equalityUsed the white as a common enemy for his supportersConsidered by many, a racist and extremist Helped spread the message of Elijah Muhammad, converting masses to the Nation of IslamOne of the most influential men in history http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/jwb/collab/civrtsweb/images/malcolmx.jpg

3. Early LifeBorn May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcolm, to Earl & Louise Little, the 7th of 8 childrenParents were members of Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Assoc. As the lightest skinned out of all his siblings, his mother (also light skinned) gave him the brunt of her anger, due to a feeling of illegitimacy, although he felt his father favored himLead him to learn the value of verbal protestHis father was supposedly killed on some railroad tracks, and his mother was sent to a mental institution soon after, by Malcolm’s early teens

4. InadequacyAttended school with mostly white kids growing up in several different Midwest CitiesHe was called nigger so much he became immune to itMoved to many foster homes with white caretakersAlthough one of the best students in his Junior High, he dropped out after a teacher told him, his aspirations of becoming a lawyer were impossible due to his colorHumiliated and defeated by the white world he was born into he moved to Boston with his older sister, where his life began to drastically changehttp://3quarksdaily.blogs.com/3quarksdaily/images/2008/02/26/x_young_2.jpg

5. The Streetshttp://home.att.net/~dermatoglyphics/MalcolmX.jpgWhile in Boston Malcolm drifted from job to job with no focusHe soon found himself in Harlem, where he became involved in the street lifeThis lead him to return to Boston, where he became involved of a string of organized burglariesThis lifestyle eventually caught up with him on January 16th, 1946 when he was charged with larceny, break & entering, and sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prisonhttp://mburgan.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/mugshot__malcolm-x.jpg

6. Knowledge Is KeyWhile in prison, Malcolm was influenced by a inmate named “Bimbi”, who persuaded him to educate himselfLittle, became hungry for literature, going as far as memorizing each word in the English Dictionary, creating a foundation for his future career as an oratorWhile in jail, Malcolm’s brother Philbert began telling him about the word of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of IslamThe principles of the Nation, based on the malevolence of whites, coincided with many of Malcolm’s beliefs gained through past experiencesBefore long, Malcolm wrote a letter of his acceptance of the Nation to Elijah Muhammad, and received words of encouragement directly from him until his release from prison in August of 52’

7. A New ManUpon his release from prison, Malcolm met with Elijah Muhammad and began learning more about the NationHe changed his last name to X, and became a assistant minister for an Islam Temple located in DetroitWith much success aiding the growth of these chapters, he soon began his own in Boston, as well as aiding the expansion of the Philadelphia, and Harlem brancheshttp://www.emtecfilms.com/page3/files/page3_3.jpg

8. The Grand StageIn July 1952 The Nation Islam was introduced to a national audience in a segment entitled The Hate That Hate Producedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4D5CsavwQgThis documentary gave The Nation of Islam more publicity than it had ever received beforeMalcolm became known as the brains behind the operationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hate_That_Hate_Produced.jpg

9. Backlash & NotorietyAfter this documentary, Malcolm became a highly sought after orator who was requested to speak at many white colleges & in other countriesIt also created much fear amongst weary viewers black and white, and placed him directly under the watching eye of J.B Stoner, KKK leaderElijah Muhammad disapproved of the documentary due to his negative portrayal, and Malcolm’s appraisal of sortsAnother boost in publicity was the recruitment of Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, in 62’They were hated and loved all at the same timehttp://www.shunpiking.com/bhs/images/WP-Muhammed%20Ali%20&%20Malcolm%20X.jpg

10. Conflicting MindsMalcolm X was denounced by many Civil Rights organizations for his extreme and hateful viewsHe was the voice of those unwilling to wait for freedom, a direct opposition to Martin Luther King’s positionMalcolm did not wish to live in peace as King did with whites, but instead hoped for complete segregation claiming equality an unreachable feat in AmericaHe openly disagreed with King, calling him a chump, and labeling his peaceful demonstrations all but pointlesshttp://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/aahd064_8x10rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-posters.jpghttp://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/27/2742/CWRND00Z/marion-trikosko-malcolm-x-waits-at-martin-luther-king-press-conference-1964.jpg

11. Led AstrayMalcolm soon became estranged with Elijah due to his extra marital affairs, and also claimed Muhammad had long prevented him from working with other activistHe denounced himself from the Nation of Islam March 8th, 1964, still however claiming MuslimHe founded the Muslim Mosque Inc., and an organization set on teaching blacks to value political knowledgeOn April 13th, 1964, X took the pilgrimage to Mecca, where he completed his Hajj, and got the chance to see a variety of races in the Muslim religion unified and worshiping togetherHe revised his radical racial beliefshttp://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/e77/f6f/e77f6f28-8064-4e40-8c58-85dedb6c93e0

12. Marked for Deathhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elijah-Muhammad-meeting-1964-detail.jpgUpon returning to the US, Malcolm was met with several private and public death threats on his life directly from the Nation of IslamThrough media, many members insinuated that due to X’s actions, his life was in grave danger, and deservedly soFBI agents confirmed these threats on his life on several occasionsMalcolm and his family were extremely paranoid, and constantly watching there backshttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_msb7eQA-RFY/Sh568VBkGdI/AAAAAAAABAk/nRzwv_mWlto/s400/malcolm-x-by-any-means-necessary-276x400.jpg

13. Marked for Death contd.His Harlem residence, was burnt to the ground with his family still in it, yet they all survivedOn February 21st, 1965, Malcolm X was shot with a sawed off shotgun at point blank range and 16 other times by two other shooters while giving a speech at his Organization of Afro-American UnityHe was pronounced dead shortly after, survived by his wife Betty X, and their six daughters http://www.malcolm-x.org/media/pic/mg62.jpg

14. In ConclusionMalcolm X, was a very passionate leader, who had the ability to persuade masses with his charisma, and rigid intellect. However, sharing characteristics with many of the other movements and leaders of the 1960’s, his efforts were focused yet somewhat misguided. At the end of his life, we were left wondering what could have been, and what never was.http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/oldschoolblues/blog/800px-MartinLutherKingMalcolmX.jpg

15. Q&A1. Malcolm X died believing that Caucasian people were the root of all evil.True/False2. What documentary gave Malcolm X his most publicity?A. To Kill A Black ManB. The Ballot of the BulletC. The Hate That Hate ProducedD. In the Name of Muhammad http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_01_img0304.jpg

16. KeywordsExtremistElijah MuhammadThe Nation of IslamMartyrHajjhttp://www.jimwegryn.com/Names/Images/MalcolmX.jpg

17. SourcesMalcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America – Bruce PerrySeventh Child: A Family Memoir of Malcolm X – Rodnell P. CollinsMalcolm X: Inventing Radical Judgment – Robert E. TerrillMalcolm X Speaks – George BreitmanThe Autobiography of Malcolm X – Alex Haley