Malcolm X: A Law-Abiding Revolutionary?

Malcolm X was a minister, a leader in the civil rights movement, and a supporter of Black nationalism. He urged his fellow Black Americans to protect themselves against white aggression “by any means necessary,” a stance that often put him at odds with the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a Baptist preacher and follower of Marcus Garvey. The family moved to Lansing, Michigan after the Ku Klux Klan made threats against them, though the family continued to face threats in their new home.

In 1931, Malcolm’s father was allegedly murdered by a white supremacist group called the Black Legionaries, though the authorities claimed his death was an accident. Mrs. Little and her children were denied her husband’s death benefits.

Malcolm spent his adolescence living in a series of foster homes or with relatives after his father's death and his mother's hospitalization. He committed various crimes, being sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison in 1946 for larceny and burglary. In prison, he joined the Nation of Islam, adopting the name Malcolm X to symbolize his unknown African ancestral surname while discarding the white slavemaster name of 'Little', and after his parole in 1952, he quickly became one of the organization's most influential leaders.

Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965. Three Nation members were charged with the murder and given indeterminate life sentences. In 2021, two of the convictions were vacated. Speculation about the assassination and whether it was conceived or aided by leading or additional members of the Nation, or with law enforcement agencies, has persisted for decades.

Malcolm X's criminal past

Malcolm X was a bright student, but he lost interest in formal education and dropped out of school after a teacher told him that his dream of becoming a lawyer was unrealistic. He then moved to Boston to live with his half-sister and worked various odd jobs. It was during this time that he began his life of crime, dealing drugs, gambling, and committing burglary. In 1946, he was arrested and jailed for theft and carrying a weapon.

While in prison, Malcolm X converted to Islam and studied the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. He was released in 1952 and quickly became a leading figure in the organization, serving as a minister and national spokesperson. However, he began to have doubts about the Nation of Islam and its leader, Elijah Muhammad, when he learned that Muhammad had engaged in adultery, which went against the group's strict code of conduct.

In March 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and established his own religious and political organizations. He also traveled to Mecca, which had a profound impact on him and caused him to reevaluate his views on race. Upon his return to the United States, he announced that he had become a Sunni Muslim and adopted the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

Throughout his life, Malcolm X faced death threats, and on February 21, 1965, he was assassinated while giving a speech in Harlem, New York. Three men connected with the Nation of Islam were convicted of the crime.

Malcolm X's views on the social contract

Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and a supporter of Black nationalism. He urged Black Americans to protect themselves against white aggression "by any means necessary", a stance that often put him at odds with the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.

Malcolm X probably would have favoured a two-level social contract. He believed that the Black community must come together independently of the white-dominated power structure and assert their power based on their own strengths. He thought that only by doing this could a more universal social contract be constructed to enable the Black and white communities to peacefully coexist and cooperate. However, he was suspicious of proposals for a colourblind social contract, believing that it would take a long time for whites to unlearn their habits of trying to dominate.

Malcolm X's views on black nationalism

Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and a vocal supporter of Black nationalism. He rose to prominence in the late 1940s as a member of the Nation of Islam, a religious organization that combined elements of traditional Islam with Black nationalism.

Malcolm X urged Black Americans to protect themselves against white aggression "by any means necessary", a stance that often put him at odds with the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. He advocated for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the African American community, and his views on Black nationalism can be summarised in the following ways:

• Racial separatism: Malcolm X believed that the best approach to the problems facing Black Americans was racial separatism. He argued that Black people should return to Africa or create a separate country for themselves in America. He rejected the civil rights movement's goal of racial integration and non-violence, instead advocating for self-defence and the use of any means necessary to achieve freedom, justice and equality.
• Economic self-sufficiency: Malcolm X promoted the idea of economic self-sufficiency for Black communities, including the establishment of black-owned businesses. He believed that land was the basis of freedom, justice and equality, and that Black people needed their own land to create their own jobs and control their own economy.
• Race pride: Malcolm X encouraged race pride and self-defence among Black Americans, arguing that they should be proud of their African heritage and culture. He criticised the civil rights movement for its emphasis on non-violence and racial integration, which he believed would not lead to true freedom and equality for Black people.
• Anti-imperialism: During his African tour in 1964, Malcolm X linked the civil rights struggles in the US with the Third World struggles against imperialism. He argued that the US government's treatment of Black Americans was a form of imperialism and that civil rights issues should be framed as a global problem, not just a domestic one.
• Pan-Africanism: Malcolm X promoted Pan-African unity and solidarity, arguing that African Americans were the "long-lost brothers and sisters" of Africans. He believed that the civil rights movement should change its focus from race to class and that the struggles of Black people in the US were connected to the struggles of Third World nations against imperialism.

Malcolm X's views on the civil rights movement

Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and a supporter of Black nationalism. He was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the African-American community. As a minister of the Nation of Islam, he preached fiery sermons on separation from whites, whom he believed were destined for divine punishment because of their longstanding oppression of Blacks.

Malcolm X urged his fellow Black Americans to protect themselves against white aggression "by any means necessary", a stance that often put him at odds with the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. He believed that Black people should defend themselves and secure their rights by any means necessary. This view was in direct contrast to the non-violent approach advocated by King and the civil rights movement.

However, towards the end of his life, Malcolm X's views became less confrontational. He recognised that he and King shared the same general goal of defeating white racism and empowering African Americans. He began to engage with the civil rights movement, attending the debate on the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 and expressing his support for voter registration efforts in Mississippi. He also had conciliatory words for Coretta Scott King, telling her that he had come to Selma to make her husband's job easier, not more difficult.

Malcolm X's break with the Nation of Islam in 1964 also marked a shift in his thinking. He now felt free to offer political solutions to the problems facing Black Americans, such as smarter political voting and organisation, and fighting for civil rights at the international level. In one of his last speeches, "The Ballot or the Bullet", he advised African Americans to exercise their right to vote wisely but cautioned that if the government continued to prevent them from attaining full equality, it might be necessary to take up arms.

Malcolm X's assassination

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by three gunmen at an Organization of Afro-American Unity rally in the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. He was 39 years old.

Malcolm X was a minister, a leader in the civil rights movement, and a supporter of Black nationalism. He was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement and a former spokesman for the Nation of Islam (NOI). He was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the African-American community.

In the years and months leading up to his assassination, Malcolm X received numerous death threats, mainly from the Nation of Islam, with whom he had fallen out. In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam due to ideological differences with its leader, Elijah Muhammad, and started his own movement. Malcolm X's house was firebombed a week before his assassination, forcing him and his family to flee in the middle of the night.

On the day of his assassination, Malcolm X was preparing to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity when someone in the 400-person audience yelled, "Nigger! Get your hand outta my pocket!" As Malcolm X and his bodyguards tried to quell the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot him once in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Two other men then charged the stage and fired semi-automatic handguns. Malcolm X was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Three members of the Nation of Islam—Muhammad Abdul Aziz, Khalil Islam, and Thomas Hagan—were charged, tried, and convicted of the murder. However, in 2021, Aziz and Islam were exonerated. Speculation about who was ultimately responsible for the assassination has persisted for decades, with some believing that leading members of the Nation of Islam or law enforcement agencies may have been involved.

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