Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, is one of the most enigmatic and influential leaders in the 20th-century struggle for civil rights in the US. His ideological development, marked by a profound dialectical evolution and deepening of thought on human affairs, was a response to his lived experiences and the antecedents that marked his intellectual formation. This research paper will outline the origins and theological antecedents of Malcolm X’s development, including Elijah Muhammad, Wallace Fard, Noble Drew Ali, and Marcus Garvey. The paper will examine the ideological development of Malcolm X throughout his life and conclude with a claim that Malcolm X’s call for black self-development and autonomy propelled his enduring popular legacy that surpassed his greatest antagonist, Martin Luther King Jr. Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975) was the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI), a religious and political organization emphasizing the need for the liberation, self-sufficiency and separatism of black Americans.
Under Elijah Muhammad’s leadership, the Nation grew to approximately 100,000 members by 1975. Muhammad taught the NOI, a form of Islam, distinguishing blackness as the beginning of human civilization, while emphasizing the inherent evil of white people and their central role …show more content…
The father of Martin Luther King, later a civil rights leader, enlisted in the UNIA and many of their members belonged to the Garvey denomination. Garvey’s activism focused on promoting black enterprise, black nationalism and the establishment of a unified African homeland. Garvey argued that the political, economic and spiritual rehabilitation of those of African descent would best be achieved through a return to
Under Elijah Muhammad’s leadership, the Nation grew to approximately 100,000 members by 1975. Muhammad taught the NOI, a form of Islam, distinguishing blackness as the beginning of human civilization, while emphasizing the inherent evil of white people and their central role …show more content…
The father of Martin Luther King, later a civil rights leader, enlisted in the UNIA and many of their members belonged to the Garvey denomination. Garvey’s activism focused on promoting black enterprise, black nationalism and the establishment of a unified African homeland. Garvey argued that the political, economic and spiritual rehabilitation of those of African descent would best be achieved through a return to