It's either a ballot or a bullet. [and] anti-oppression" and that, if white Americans take issue with being considered a problem, all they have to do is stop treating African Americans in those ways. Inherent: an adjective describing something of a central and permanent nature. "The Ballot or the Bullet" asks African Americans to put aside their differences and work together to redefine their civil rights as human rights so they can plead their case to the United Nations. It took decades for the men involved to be prosecuted as FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, prevented their prosecution in 1968. Which means a segregationist is breaking the law. He explains to the crowd that self-determination is the key to success. Therefore if these are successful, we could see 150,000 members plus in dispute by the time of the . The main aim of the speech is to urge African Americans to vote, and if they do not attain equality through voting, they can use violence to fight for their rights. The tone of "The Ballot or the Bullet" is both urgent and angry. The white politicians would come into black neighborhoods and push, press, and force it upon blacks to put them in office. (Malcolm X) Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. . We ourselves have to lift the level of our community to a higher level, make our own society beautiful so that we will be satisfied in our own circles and won't be running around here try to knock our way into a social circle where we're not wanted. The Ballot or the bullet Malcolm X Cory Methodist Church Cleveland, Ohio April 3, 1964 Garret Feucht COM 250 - Prof. Heins 10/29/15 Garret Feucht COM 250 - Prof. Heins 10/29/15 (Daniels, 2014) The Ballot or the Bullet is the title of one of the many speeches given by human rights activist Malcolm X. The local governments of the African-American communities should be managed by African Americans. [5] He reassured leaders of the Civil Rights Movement that "I've forgotten everything bad that [they] have said about me, and I pray they can also forget the many bad things I've said about them."[7]. "(I Have a Dream Speech). [6], Malcolm also chose not to discuss the religious differences that divide Muslims and Christians, a common theme of his speeches when he was the spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X uses a combination of logic and emotion to appeal to his audience. Malcolm X maintained his use of repetition as "communications of the passion that is satisfied by a single statement, but that beats through the pulses",[27] and this can be exemplified by his consistent use of the phrase "the ballot or the bullet". Civil Rights Activist, Malcolm X, in his speech "The Ballot or The Bullet" addressed the issue that the black community needs to take action about how the government treats them unfairly. He declares himself to be a black nationalist freedom fighter.. Malcolm X delivered a powerful speech on April 3, 1964 at the Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland, Ohio. Separate to the "big" ballot, we are running ballots in the Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and other areas. The bill proposed a ban on discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin in jobs and public accommodations. [12], Black nationalism was characterized by its political, social, and economic philosophies. He praises the idea that they had let the government blind them for a way too long. Relying on peaceful protests such as sit-ins castrates the black man, says Malcolm. He said that Black nationalists believe that African Americans should control the politics and the economy in their communities and that they need to remove the vices, such as alcoholism and drug addiction, that afflict their communities. At the same time, the speech indicated that Malcolm still supported Black nationalism and self-defense and thus had not made a complete break with his past. There he is standing up in front of other people, Uncle Sam, with the blood of your and mine mothers and fathers on his hands, with the blood dripping down his jaws like a bloody-jawed wolf", Ap Lang Rhetorical Strategies -- "The Ballot, The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Exploration/Colonization - American Revolution. He notes that politicians are more aware of this fact than African Americans, so they tell African Americans whatever will secure their vote. He accused the Democrats of playing a "political con game", with African Americans as its victims. He wanted them to vote for who they felt was the right choice to benefit blacks. In April 1964, in the midst of a 54 day Senate filibuster of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, Malcolm X gave his famous speech, The Ballot or the Bullet. Best study tips and tricks for your exams. The bill was passed by the House on February 10, 1964, and sent to the Senate for consideration. What X was trying to instill into the minds of his blacks was to be their own person. However, he clarifies that they have yet to see the America dream but only to experience the American nightmare (para 11). Acknowledge and refute opponent's argument. Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persnlichen Lernstatistiken. Why did Malcolm X deliver "The Ballot or the Bullet"? Malcolm stresses that the black community makes up the 80% of the Democratic Party and with that percentage they are the ones who put a democrat in the White House. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. Well, in this situation, it teaches me that even a legend person like Malcolm X are once easily distorted by the words of the people around him. THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US and you walkin' around here singing "We Shall Overcome"- THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED US. "The Ballot or the Bullet" opens by addressing the differences in religious beliefs that divide the African-American community. We have to see each other with new eyes. Malcolm X was a fighter for civil rights. parallelism in the ballot or the bullet. It means that when white people are evenly divided, and Black people have a bloc of votes of their own, it is left up to them to determine who's going to sit in the White House and who's going to be in the dog house. He points out that if the government can't bring whoever killed "four little girls while they were praying" to justice, then it is either unwilling to help them or entirely incapable. intentional omission of a word or words that are readily implied by the context, intentional unconventional rearranging of word order to create an effect, create, study and share online flash cards, "realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common. I think the title suggests an ultimatum between voting or violence, and one action or the other is to be done depending on how the government will handle the case. Putting normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases together to generate a new/interseting effect. If the word is correct, write C./ Douglass received an invitation to speak at a Fourth of July celebration in his hometown, and the speech he gave called out the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom as a country while millions of its residents are enslaved. Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech was a powerful call to action for African Americans to take a more militant approach to the civil rights movement. Let the world know how bloody his hands are. Create flashcards in notes completely automatically. According to Malcolm X, 1964 is the year of the ballot or the bullet not only because it is the year of what he considers a failed march on Washington, but because it is an election year, and because there is a new generation of African-Americans who are no longer willing to be subjugated. Cleage, brothers and sis By contrast, Martin Luther King Jr. advocates for an engagement of Civil Disobedience by calling for nonviolent direct action which allows for African Americans to be heard by forcing their, How Does Malcolm X Use Ethos In The Ballot Or The Bullet, The Ballot or the Bullet is a speech delivered by Malcolm X in 1964. In the speech, he uses colorful language and straight talk to drive his messages surrounding voting rights, self-defense, and what he believed were worthwhile goals of the Civil Rights Movement home to his audience. Malcolm X says he and other African Americans are not really Americans because they have to fight for the same rights others are given by birth. Lyndon B. Johnson is the head of the Democratic Party. The social philosophy of black nationalism advocates for reform of the community and reconstruction of it so it is more welcoming:[18]. In 1964 there was going to be a presidential election. [9] He said that President Johnson and the Democratic Party claimed to support the civil rights bill, and the Democrats controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but they had not taken genuine action to pass the bill. Summary of Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. ", "Not only is he a crook, he's a hypocrite. They don't attack me because I'm a Muslim; they attack me 'CAUSE I'M BLACK. [25], One biographer notes that Malcolm was one of the first African-American leaders to note the existence and growing influence of Black nationalism among young civil rights activists.[26]. Because of this, Malcolm X believes all African Americans must join together to bypass the United States government and take their grievances to the United Nations as a human rights rather than civil rights issue. The repetition of the phrase the ballot or the bullet shows how that community of people feel about change. A fight for civil rights was a domestic matter, and "no one from the outside world can speak out in your behalf as long as your struggle is a civil-rights struggle". Southern Democrats (sometimes called Dixiecrats, though the term is ambiguous and more properly refers to a short-lived separate political party), blocked the bill from consideration by the House of Representatives. African Americans have a constitutional right to own guns and defend themselves from being attacked by the white man. ", "They've become dissatisfied, and all of this has built up frustrations in the black community that makes the black community throughout America today more explosive than all of the atomic bombs the Russians can ever invent", "Whenever you got a racial powder keg sitting in your lap, you're in more trouble than if you had an atomic powder keg sitting in your lap. balanced sentence), comparision of two unlike things using "like" or as", deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. In this case, Malcolm X makes an analogy between Russia-US international cooperationand cooperation among African Americans of different religions fighting for the same cause: If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange s. 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