The Handy American History Answer Book by David L. Hudson

Author:David L. Hudson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Visible Ink Press
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Marchers, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., walked for five days from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in March 1965 to protest unfair voting laws and segregation in the South.

Who was Malcolm X?

Malcolm X (1925–1965) was an influential civil rights leader known for his activism and advocacy on behalf of civil rights. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, he went to prison for robbery at age twenty. In prison, Little converted to the Nation of Islam. He later became a key follower of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Black Muslims. For a time, Malcolm X was Muhammad’s most eloquent and powerful spokesman, but he began to have differences with his older mentor. Eventually, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam in March 1964. He disavowed the Nation of Islam’s hard-line stance on segregation and agreed to work with other civil rights leaders. This apparently displeased a segment of the Nation of Islam, as three members of the group assassinated Malcolm X in New York in February 1965. These three members were convicted, although they continued to maintain their innocence even decades later.

What does the letter “X” in Malcolm X’s name stand for?

The influential but controversial African American leader was a staunch defendant of black rights. He took the surname “X” in 1952 upon his release from prison. He explained that the letter stood for the unknown African name of his ancestors. Malcolm X’s family’s name, Little, was that given to his slave ancestors by their owner. By adopting X as his surname, it was both a bitter reminder of his family’s slavery and an affirmation of his (unknown) African roots.

What was “CORE”?

CORE is the acronym for the civil rights group Congress for Racial Equality. Founded in 1942 by James L. Farmer, Jr. and several others, it played a significant role in the American civil rights movement. CORE focused on exposing the evils of segregation and discrimination through various acts of nonviolent, direct action. CORE did not just engage in activism in the southern U.S. CORE attacked employment discrimination, voting rights abuses, and other modes of discrimination in society. Many of its activities occurred in Chicago, Illinois.

CORE also was active in Freedom Summer—a campaign of civil rights in Mississippi during the summer of 1964. CORE proposed the creation of Freedom Schools and trained young civil rights activists. Three members of CORE—James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman—were brutally murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, that summer.

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