TOPIC 8.10 The African American Civil RIghts Movement in the 1960’s

The Ballot or the BUllet: Malcolm X & George Washington’s Shared Values

KC-8.2.1.C …resistance slowed efforts at desegregation… Debates among civil rights activists over the efficacy of nonviolence increased…

Objective: Students will analyze Malcolm X’s point of view and the purpose of the “Ballot or the Bullet” speech.

This KEY concept in an Antiracism classroom:

“…wasn't nothing non-violent about ol' Pat Henry, or George Washington. "Liberty or death" is was what brought about the freedom of whites in this country…” - Malcolm X, 1964

“Liberty or Death”: Malcolm X called out the hypocrisy of a nation that celebrates the valor of violent white freedom fighters and yet demonizes African American leaders who made the exact same arguments. The American education system has slowly decided to rightfully canonize Dr. King as one of America’s greatest heroes, but public school systems have failed to tell the extraordinary story of the life of Malcolm X. After an “eye-opening” pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964, Malcolm X became one of the greatest antiracist advocates in American history.

Notes

Students love the life story of the man who would evolve to become one of America’s most famous, yet misunderstood, antiracist activists. They will also get the chance to hear and analyze one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century using the S.P.Y. method.