Malcolm X Essay Example

Malcolm X Paper Malcolm X Outline A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. Thesis Statement: Malcolm  X was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. Detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, anti-Semitism, and violence. Introduction I. Malcolm X opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, publicly calling for black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration as effective means of combating racism. Body I. Main Point 1: Hard times Malcolm X had growing up. II. Main Point 2: How getting in trouble with law effect his way of life how it change him forever. III. Transitional Sentence: Now that you know how Malcolm X was shape by society, I’ll explain the route that the Nation of Islam betrayal Malcolm. IV. Main Point 3: The way the Nation Islam took to assassinate Malcolm X. ; Conclusion I. Malcolm X achieved his goal on opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration as effective means. Malcolm X opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, publicly calling for black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration as effective means of combating racism; He was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. We will write a custom essay sample on Malcolm X specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Malcolm X specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Malcolm X specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, anti-Semitism, and violence. Malcolm came from the humblest roots, was the most radical, most outspoken, and angriest â€Å"All Negroes are angry, and I am the angriest of all,† he often would say. The powerful speaker gathered huge crowds around him when he was associated with Elijah Muhammad’s Lost-Found Nation of Islam movement, and afterwards with Malcolm X’s own organization. Many Americans, white and black, were afraid of the violent side of Malcolm X’s rhetoric unlike Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s, doctrine of non-violent resistance, Malcolm X believed in self-defense. Malcolm X’s father was a Baptist minister and a member of the United Negro Improvement Association. In a parallel belief, Nation of Islam supporters in Malcolm X’s time held that a section of the United States secede and become a nation onto itself for disenfranchised blacks. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little, on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, NE; He died of gunshot wounds, on February 21, 1965, in Harlem, NY; He was the son of Reverend Earl (a Baptist minister), and Louise Little; Malcolm X was married Betty (a student nurse), 1958; Activist Worker in Lost-Found Nation of Islam religious sect, 1952-64, began as assistant minister of mosque in Detroit, Ml, then organized mosque in Philadelphia, PA, became national minister, 1963; established Muslim Mosque, Inc. founded Organization of Afro-American Unity in New York City, 1964; lecturer and writer. Malcolm X described in his autobiography (written with Alex Haley) the harassment of his father, including terrifying visits from the Ku Klux Klan; one of Malcolm X’s first memories is of his home in Omaha burning down. The family moved to Lansing, Michigan, in 1929 and there Malcolm X’s memories were of his father’s rousing sermons and the beatings the minister gave his wife and children. Malcolm X believed his father to be a victim of brainwashing by white people, who infected blacks with self-hatred therefore he would pass down a form of the abuse he received as a black man. After his father was killed, the state welfare representatives began to frequent the house, and it seemed to Malcolm X that they were harassing his mother. Terribly stricken by her husband’s death and buckling under the demands of raising many children, Louise Little became psychologically unstable and was institutionalized until 1963. In his autobiography, he used his own young adulthood to illustrate larger ideas about the racist climate in the United States. In high school, Malcolm began to fight what would be a lifelong battle of personal ambition versus general racist preconception. Lansing did not hold many opportunities of any kind for a young black man then, so without a particular plan, Malcolm X went to live with his half-sister, Ella, in Boston. Malcolm X looked, and almost immediately found trouble. He fell in with a group of gamblers and thieves, and began shining shoes at the Roseland State Ballroom. There he learned the trades that would eventually take him to jail dealing in bootleg liquor and illegal drugs. Malcolm X characterized his life then as one completely lacking in self-respect. Many journalists would emphasize Malcolm X’s â€Å"shady† past when describing the older man, his clean-cut lifestyle, and the aims of the Nation of Islam. In some cases, these references were an attempt to damage Malcolm X’s credibility, but economically disadvantaged people have found his early years to be a point of commonality, and Malcolm X himself was proud of how far he had come. He spared no detail of his youth in his autobiography, and used his Nation of Islam ideas to interpret them. Dancing, drinking, and even his hair style were represented by Malcolm X to be marks of shame and self-hatred. Relaxed hair in particular was an anathema to Malcolm X for the rest of his life; he described his first â€Å"conk† in the autobiography this way: â€Å"This was my first really big step toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain of the hair-straightening chemicals, literally burning my flesh to have it look like a white man’s hair. I had joined that multitude of Negro men and women in America who are brainwashed into believing that the black people are inferior and white people superior that they will even violate and mutilate their God-created bodies to try to look pretty by white standards†¦. It makes you wonder if the Negro has completely lost his sense of identity, lost touch with himself. † It was while Malcolm X was in prison that he was introduced to the ideas of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Fundamentally, the group believes in the racial superiority of blacks, a belief supported by a complex genesis fable, which includes an envious, evil white scientist who put a curse on blacks. The faith became a focus for Malcolm X’s fury about his treatment and his family’s at the hands of whites, about the lack of opportunity he had as a young black man, and the psychological damage of systematic anti-black racism that is, the damage of self-hatred. Malcolm X quoted â€Å"I found out that the history-whitening process either had left out great things that black men had done, or the great black men had gotten whitened. The group also emphasizes scrupulous personal habits, including cleanliness and perfect grooming, and forbids smoking, drinking, and the eating of pork, as well as other traditional Muslim dietary restrictions. When Malcolm X left prison in 1952, he went to work for Elijah Muhammad, and within a year was named assistant minister to Muslim Temple Number One in Detroit, Michigan. Malcolm X’s faith was inextricably linked to his worship of Elijah Muhammad. Everything Malcolm X accomplished was accomplished through Elijah Muhammad. In his autobiography, he recalled a speech which described his devotion: â€Å"I have sat at our Messenger’s feet, hearing the truth from his own mouth, I have pledged on my knees to Allah to tell the white man about his crimes and the black man the true teachings of our Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I don’t care if it costs my life. † His devotion would be sorely tested, then destroyed within nine years. Now that you know how Malcolm X was shape by society, I’ll explain the route that the Nation of Islam betrayal Malcolm. Muhammad had been the judge and jury for the Nation of Islam, and had sentenced many other Black Muslims to terms of silence, or excommunication, for adultery or other infractions of their religious code. Malcolm X discovered that Muhammad himself was guilty of adultery, and was appalled by his idol’s hypocrisy. Other ministers were vying for the kind of power and attention that Malcolm X had, and some speculate that these men filled Elijah Muhammad’s ears with ungenerous speculations about Malcolm X’s ambitions. A â€Å"hajj† is a pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad; â€Å"Malik† was similar to Malcolm, and â€Å"Shabazz,† a family name. On March 8, 1964, Malcolm X had announced that he was leaving the Nation of Islam to form his own groups, Muslim Mosque, Inc. , and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. In an effort to express his dedication to Islam, and thereby establish a more educated religious underpinning for his new organization, Malcolm X declared he would make a hajj. His travels were enlarged to include a tour of Middle Eastern and African countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Ghana. These expeditions would expand Malcolm X in ways that would have seemed incredible to him earlier. â€Å"Packed in the plane to Jedda were white, black, brown, red, and yellow people, blue eyes and blond hair, and my kinky red hair all together, brothers! All honoring the same God Allah, all in turn giving equal honor to the other. † As a result of his experiences, Malcolm X gained a burgeoning understanding of a global unity and sympathy that stood behind America’s blacks—less isolated and more reinforced, he revised his formerly separatist notions. Still full of resolve, Malcolm X returned to the States with a new message. He felt that American blacks should go to the United Nations and demand their rights, not beg for them. When faced with a bevy of reporters upon his return, he told them, â€Å"The true Islam has shown me that a blanket indictment of all white people is as wrong as when whites make blanket indictments against blacks. † This new message, full of renewed vigor and an enlarged vision, plus the fact that the media was still listening to Malcolm X, was not well-received by the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was aware that he was being followed by Black Muslims, and regularly received death threats. A few minutes into his message, three men stood and fired sixteen shots into Malcolm X, who died before medical help could arrive. Politically sophisticated, Malcolm X told everyone who would listen about the tenacious and pervasive restraints those centuries of racism had imposed on American blacks. Although Malcolm X’s own organizations were unsteady at the time of his death, the posthumous publication of his autobiography insures that his new and old philosophies will never be forgotten. In 1990, twenty-five years after his assassination, Malcolm X and his ideas were still a huge component in the ongoing debate about race relations. â€Å"Malcolm’s maxims on self-respect, self-reliance and economic empowerment seem acutely prescient,† said Newsweek in 1990. In conclusion, Malcolm X was man who led by example. To me, Malcolm X achieved his goal on opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration as effective means.

Effecting America One Scandal at a Time

Effecting America One Scandal at a Time Free Online Research Papers The idea of checks and balances was an idea that arose during the composition of the U.S. Constitution. Checks and balances were created so that no one single branch of government (which includes legislative, judiciary, and executive) would become too powerful. This concept prevents a tyranny from controlling the United States, or any illegal activities to take place within the government. One key example of the power the judiciary and legislative branches have over the executive branch is the Watergate Scandal. The Watergate Scandal is a prime example of how theses checks and balances come into play. Also, the events of Watergate show how even the president (executive branch) is answerable to the judicial and legislative branches. Though Nixon had many strong characteristics of a successful leader, â€Å"Nixon’s public actions were nothing compared to what he had done to ensure his re-election.† (Carnes, and Garraty 640) â€Å"In reaction to Daniel Ellsberg’s leak of the Pentagon Papers (papers that talked about how the American Government had misled the American people on the progress in Vietnam), Nixon set up a secret unit called â€Å"the plumbers†. This group was ordered to carry out various illegal activities in the name of â€Å"national security†Ã¢â‚¬ . On June 17, 1972 five men were arrested at 2:30a.m, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzlez, Eugenio Martinez, James W. McCord Jr., and Frank Sturgis. These men were hired and or ordered to set up recording devices in the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. At their arrest â€Å"Police discovered walkie-talkies, 40 rolls of unexposed film, two 35-milimeter cameras, lock picks, tear gas, and bugging devices that apparently were capable of picking up both telephone and room conversations† (Bernstein, and Woodward ). When the hearing of these men finally took place, things began to unfold. When asked, each of the men revealed some connection to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The men were â€Å"hired hands, on call to take care of the agency’s â€Å"less tasteful work† †. This obviously raised some eyebrows in other areas of the government, but Nixon told the White House press secretary to dismiss the inciden t as a third-rate burglary. This, although did not stop reporters from investigating further, in fact, the statement only made reporters like Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein pursue the truth of the matter further. What was Watergate? That was the question reporters were asking. No one quite knew what it was. Some took the president’s word, and simply dismissed it as a third-rate burglary. Others, like the famous Woodward and Bernstein pursued the truth of the burglary. At the arrest, two of the five men involved in the break-in, had an address book that â€Å"contained the name and phone number of a Howard E. Hunt, with small notations â€Å"W. House† and â€Å"W.H† † (Bernstein, and Woodward ). Now the question had been raised; what business did members of the CIA, specializing in bugging, have with the Whitehouse? As the reporter’s investigation continued, they found, through FBI sources, that the Whitehouse had taken over possession of the Watergate investigation files. The whole scandal was falling apart, and the truth was becoming clearer in the eyes of the media and more importantly the eyes of the American people. The scandal had become so sh ocking, that the legislative and judiciary branches felt a pressing need to step in, and take control of the executive branch. As more revelations occurred, the other branches of the government became more and more involved in the investigative process. As the investigation continued, it was revealed that Nixon had installed a taping system in the Whitehouse, to record all conversations that took place. After this revelation, it became a certain urgency to get a hold of the tapes. After all, if Nixon or any other Whitehouse official was involved in the Watergate scandal, then their voices would be on the tape, if not then they would be free of conviction. The Nixon tapes were under fire, the prosecution needed to get their hands on it. The tapes were declared significant for the grand jury’s criminal investigation. This was the first time anyone had ever subpoenaed the president, and Nixon received two on the same day. He got one from the committee and one from the prosecutor, Archibald Cox (Emery 576). At this point, Nixon was claiming that neither Congress, nor Cox had the right to demand evidence from the executive branch, and said it was â€Å"vital to national security†. Nixon’s refusal to hand the tapes over, forced the Senate Committee to come up with a way of forcing Nixon to hand the tapes over. After all, Nixon controlled the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Armed Forces. Nixon’s position as president started to cause problems, for the Senate. They had come to realize that they were at a stand still and Nixon had the upper hand. His apparent control over major parts of the government was becoming a hindrance. The committee was desperate for a plan to obtain the recorded tapes, and a solution was finally given by the prosecution. The plan was to â€Å"sue for the tapes in federal court†. The Senate Committee agreed to this solution and helped the prosecution follow through. The lawsuit went to the same judge as the one who was overseeing the Watergate trial. The judge â€Å"charged the president to turn over the tapes to the prosecutor† (Emery 576). The Whitehouse appealed to the Federal Court of appeals. The court ruled in favor of the judge, and demanded the tapes out of Nixon. This enraged Nixon; after all, Cox was an employee of the executive branch, and was challenging his authority. Thus, Nixon ordered the Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. He refused and resigned. Nixon then asked the deputy to fire Cox. The deputy also resigned. Nixon finally asked a third-ranking Justice Department official to fire Cox, and become the new Attorney General. He agreed. This incident was called â€Å"The Saturday Massacre†. This brought a lot of pressure down on Nixon; he therefore agre ed to appoint a new prosecutor. The prosecutor was Leon Jaworski. The prosecutor agreed under the condition that Nixon could not fire him. So, as the trial continued, the tapes were examined and as a result an alarming discovery was made. There was an 18-minute gap in one of the tapes (Emery 576). â€Å"Prosecutor Jaworski demanded that the Whitehouse turn over 69 more tapes. Once again the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon had to supply the subpoenaed tapes† (Emery 576). On July 27th- 30th, the Judiciary Committee suggested that Nixon be impeached on three charges: obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential power, and trying to hinder the impeachment process by defying committee subpoenas. The committee voted on his impeachment, and the vote went against him. Therefore Nixon had to stand trial before the U.S Senate and was found guilty. In the aftermath, the Whitehouse released a transcript of the tapes. In it, there was a conversation between Nixon and Haldeman (Nixon’s chief of staff). Nixon told Haldeman to cease the FBI’s investigation of Watergate. This â€Å"made it clear that Nixon was involved in the cover-up from the beginning† (Emery 576). At nine-o’clock on August 8, 1974 Nixon made his last speech as president. He only admitted to losing the two branches’ support. At noon, the Vice-president, Gerald R. Ford, was inaugurated. He told the American people in his speech that â€Å"†¦our long national nightmare is over† (Emery 576) â€Å"President Ford insisted he had no intention of pardoning Nixon† (Brown Tindall, and Emory Shi 1264). But on September 1974, Ford issued the pardon to Nixon, explaining that this was necessary to end the national obsession (especially by the media) with Watergate. Following the Watergate Scandal, Congress legislature limited the actual input any president had in external affairs. The War Powers Act (1973) â€Å"requires a president to inform Congress within forty-eight hours if U.S. troops are deployed in combat abroad and to withdraw troops after sixty days unless Congress specifically approves their stay† (Brown Tindall, and Emory Shi 1264). Congress also had a reaction to Nixon’s â€Å"executive privileges† by strengthening the 1966 Freedom of Information Act. By the end of 1975, amendments to the Freedom of Information Act had become effective and the Privacy Act of 1974 also became effective. â€Å"The passage of these laws provided for broad access to FBI records which previously had been severely limited. In the past twenty plus years, the FBI has handled over 300,000 requests and over six million pages of FBI documents have been released to the public in paper format.† (Freedom of Information Act (USA)). The Watergate Scandal, and the parties involved played a key factor in the shaping of the executive branch that we have today. Limitations and guidelines have been set; there is no longer a threat of the pushing of boundaries by the president, his appointed cabinet, or the federal agencies that are in direct control of the executive branch. Although these acts of legislation have limited the executive branch, they have not hindered the job of the presidency in anyway. As you can see, checks and balances have been a key focal point from the creation of American democracy. Therefore we must trust the other branches of our government to do their jobs and look out for the safety of our country and exercise their power of maintaining the balance of powers. Research Papers on Effecting America One Scandal at a TimeThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationQuebec and CanadaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UsePETSTEL analysis of IndiaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Where Wild and West Meet