Sarah Peck
Mr. D’Aquila
A.P. U.S. History
15 August 2008
Malcolm X Essay
The decade of 1960 was a time of civil unrest in America. With the escalation of
the war in Vietnam, Americans began to question society’s established traditions such as
the draft, while hippies protested the war (Feinstein 36-37). Also in a state of unrest were
race relations in America. African-American leaders, Malcolm X being one of them, rose
up, taking a stand against the injustice and inequality as the civil rights movement gained
momentum. These catalysts for change sparked a revolution of retaliation. Given the state
of upheaval the country was in, no time was more opportune for a civil rights movement
to occur.
Malcolm X was brought into his prominent leadership role in the promotion of
racial justice through his family’s introduction of the Nation of Islam, and his influence
would rise to stir the hearts of blacks across America. In 1965 Malcolm X said, “Sitting
at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being
here in America doesn’t make you an American. Being born here in America doesn’t
make you an American.” This statement reflects the discrimination towards minorities in
general; black people in particular; who inhabited the US in the 1960’s.
Many groups, including blacks, have faced adversity in the face of racism or
discrimination here in America. The discrimination made it hard for them to consider
themselves truly “American” and have the right to “dine” as such. For example, the
Native American people who were forced into small corners of land when the first
Americans began to settle. These indigenous people, who had every right to take part in
their own country, were overtaken and became a minority, inferior to the white man.
(African American…, 1) Furthermore, others who had trouble “eating from the plate of
America” were the 120,000 Japanese American citizens during World War II (Ross, 1).
Though born and bred as an American, they were put into internment camps. Because of
their race, these rightful citizens were forced into overcrowded “tarpaper-covered
barracks of simple frame construction without plumbing or cooking facilities of any
kind" (Ross, 1). It was clear to Malcolm X that this racial intolerance and inequality that
faced minorities, the focus being the African-American, was unjust.
Malcolm X’s belief that ‘being here in America doesn’t make you an American’
illustrated the significance of the situation facing black Americans like himself in a time
where racism and injustice were rampant and “so deeply rooted” (Haley, 369). As
Malcolm X stated, “Twenty-two million African-Americans - that’s what we areAfricans who are in America” (Ali, 6). For hundreds of years, since the first African
slaves were brought to the continent, the black man in America was subjected to
mistreatment and discrimination by the white man. Though both races inhabited the U.S,
only the superior white race truly had the freedoms to eat from the table, to be considered
truly “American,” while the black man was only a spectator of this “feast-” subservient
and deprived of any measure of equality. Regardless of whether or not the AfricanAmerican in question was American born and bred, he or she was denied service at
restaurants, hotels, and schools. They were denied job opportunities, and front seats in the
bus. Blacks were subject to beatings and violence, as well as verbal racism and the
carried the day to day grief of the burden of oppression (Riser, 1).
The prevalence of intolerance and prejudice was manifested in many facets of
American life in the early 1960’s; socially, economically and politically. Socially, for
example, Jim Crow laws stripped blacks of basic freedoms. These laws forbid blacks
from dining in the same restaurants, sitting on the same railroad cars, using the same
bathrooms, and even from entering the same hospital doors as whites (Randall, 1-6).
Thus, even though African-Americans could rightly sit at the “table” of America, since
they technically resided on the land, they couldn’t “eat,” because to eat would mean to
take part in the country and be able to have the liberties and personal freedoms that
permit a free citizen in America to do such. One of the most ironic Jim Crow Laws, in
place in Louisiana, was regarding the blind: “The board of trustees shall...maintain a
separate building...on separate ground for the admission, care, instruction, and support of
all blind persons of the colored or black race” (Randall, 3). These black and white people
were blind, but were still segregated! Furthermore, black people, even those with
otherwise highly esteemed careers, were treated with very little respect. Frustrated by a
black Ph. D associate professor at a college he spoke at, Malcolm X asked, “Do you
know what white racists call black Ph. D’s?” The man responded, “I believe that I happen
not to be aware of that…” Malcolm X loudly stated: “N----r!” (Haley, 290) In 1960,
Cassius Clay, more commonly known as Muhammad Ali, represented the United States
in the Rome Summer Olympics, bringing home the gold medal for his country in boxing
(Morrison, 1). However, his return was not what he anticipated for his country’s gold
medalist. He was refused service at a “whites-only” restaurant, and then fought with a
white gang. Afterwards, he threw his gold medal into the Ohio River (Morrison, 1). This
despicable prejudice further illustrates that it didn’t matter if a black person was a hustler,
a Ph. D, or even a International Olympic gold medalist for the “country.” Above all, they
were regarded as black.
Politically, black men had the right to vote, yet no representation in government.
Malcolm X pointed out that “U.S. politics is ruled by special-interest blocs and lobbies.
What group has a more urgent special interest, what group need a bloc, a lobby more that
the black man?” (Haley, 321) He continued, “…right now the American black man has
the political strength and power to change his destiny overnight” (Haley, 322).
As far as economics, the black man had far less power. Malcolm X recognized
that “As a consumer, he got less than his share, and as a producer gave least” (Haley
320). Blacks faced a constant uphill battle in the world of the workforce. While Malcolm
X was growing up, a black man in a small town could not aspire to be a doctor, or a
lawyer. A shoeshine boy, waiter, or carpenter was considered a “successful” job for a
black person at the time (Haley, 40). As for those lucky enough to break into the career
world, as mentioned before in reference to the Ph. D, their race prevented them from
earning any sort of respect in the workforce.
Malcolm X pointed out that his plate, the plate of the black man, was “empty”
(Ali, 6). Therefore, there was no opportunity at all for blacks to take part in the “feast”
since “food” was not even presented to them in the first place. In society, where citizens
sat at the “table” of America, it was the same. Even those blacks willing and eager to take
part in the “feast” and be welcomed as true Americans were denied even the chance to do
so, since no “food” was on their plate. The white race had always dictated what was and
was not “American.” The white race, who held the control over the country and the
people within, ultimately decided the fate of the black man. And without liberties or the
right to call themselves “Americans,” the black man had no choice but to stare longingly
at his empty plate while others dined freely. In a speech presented to Congress in 1963
regarding the Civil Rights Act, President John F. Kennedy stated, "The Negro baby born
in America today, regardless of the section of the nation in which he is born, has about
one-half as much chance of completing high school as a white baby born in the same
place on the same day; one third as much chance of completing college; one third as
much chance of becoming a professional man; twice as much chance of becoming
unemployed; about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year; a life
expectancy which is seven years shorter; and the prospects of earning only half as much"
(Simkin, 1).
In a country whose principles were founded on freedom, who proclaimed “all
men are created equal,” minorities such as the blacks were still unable to feel free or
equal, or even fully American. Malcolm X once exclaimed, “Human rights! Respect as
human beings! That’s what America’s black masses want!” (Haley, 278). Rights, respect,
and liberties are essentially what will allow blacks, and all ethnicities, to be able to “dine”
together at the table, and eat the food presented on their plate to become one country, one
America united in brotherhood, as Malcolm X would have wanted. Hopefully America
will continue to improve to truly make this a country where “all men are created equal.”
Sarah, this is good first APUSH essay. It has great support from both
OI and the novel. Some really sharp analysis in there and you really have
some very finely crafted sentences. Intro is not bad, but it does not drive at
your thesis. And your thesis is not very strong. (We will work on this).
Overall, this is a fine essay and I’m glad you are taking this class.
Works Cited
"African American and Native American Discrimination." Everything 2. 21 May 2003.
15 Aug. 2008 <http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1463139>.
Ali, Noaman. "Malcolm X Quotations." Malcolm-X.org. 2000. 14 Aug. 2008
<http://www.malcolm-x.org/quotes.htm>.
Feinstein, Stephen. The 1960s from the Vietnam War to Flower Power. New York:
Enslow, Incorporated, 2000.
Haley, Alex, and Malcolm X. Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Broadway
Books, 1998.
Morrison, Mike. "Muhammad Ali Timeline." Infoplease. 2007. 14 Aug. 2008
<http://www.infoplease.com/spot/malitimeline1.html>.
Randall, Vernellia R., ed. "Examples of Jim Crow Laws." Race, Racism and the Law. 30
Dec. 2007. 14 Aug. 2008
<http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/jcrow02.htm>.
Riser, George. "The Civil Rights Movement." University of Virginia. 2 June 2008. 13
Aug. 2008 <http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/sixties/civil.html>.
Ross, Shmuel, and Ricco V. Siasoco. "Japanese Internment in World War Two."
Infoplease. 2007. 15 Aug. 2008
<http://www.infoplease.com/spot/internment1.html>.
Simkin, John. "1964 Civil Rights Act." Spartacus Educational. 15 Aug. 2008
<http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/usacivil64.htm>.