In a speech on May 18, 1858, Abraham Lincoln said, "To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only are necessary. The Question and Answer section for The Ballot or the Bullet is a great "Those Honkies that just got off the boat, they're already Americans; Polacks are already Americans; the Italian refugees are already Americans. 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. . In addition, Malcolm X intended his characteristic use of language and imagery to disguise his conceptions of society and history[28] in new ways to put issues into his perspective for his audience and inspire activism. The title "The Ballot or the Bullet" has an underlining meaning. I'm not here to try and change your religion. It was very influential speech that . Let the world know the hypocrisy that's practiced over here. He states that African Americans continue to struggle because the Democrats and Republicans work together to deny African Americans their rights. Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates. The early 1960s shocked the nation with multiple reports of violence against African Americans. He is not here today to discuss his relationship with God, but to speak about black nationalism. [21] He advised his listeners to be mindful of the law "This doesn't mean you're going to get a rifle and form battalions and go out looking for white folks that would be illegal and we don't do anything illegal" but he said that if white people didn't want African Americans to arm themselves, the government should do its job. It took decades for the men involved to be prosecuted as FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, prevented their prosecution in 1968. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Let the world know the hypocrisy that's practiced over here. What does this mean? Malcolm X delivered a powerful speech on April 3, 1964 at the Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland, Ohio. Malcolm predicted that if the civil rights bill wasn't passed, there would be a march on Washington in 1964. Everything that came out of Europe, every blue-eyed thing, is already an American. Anything can sit. "The Ballot or the Bullet" also marked a notable shift in Malcolm X's rhetoric, as he presented previously undiscussed ways of looking at the relationship between blacks and whites. Relying on peaceful protests such as sit-ins castrates the black man, says Malcolm. Well, you and I been sitting long enough, he claims, and its time for us today to start doing some standing and some fighting to back that up.. parallelism "And until we become politically mature we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically who doesn't have the good of our community at heart." epistrophe "They don't hang you because you're a Baptist; they hang you 'CAUSE YOU'RE BLACK. of the users don't pass the Ballot or the Bullet quiz! [21], Malcolm X referred to "the type of Black man on the scene in America today [who] doesn't intend to turn the other cheek any longer",[9] and warned that if politicians failed to keep their promises to African Americans, they made violence inevitable:[22]. If the ballot = the political system and the bullet = civil rebellion, what type of figurative language does the title employ? Malcolm X's speech "The Ballot or the Bullet" is intended to encourage African Americans to take the Civil Rights Movement forward and become even more determined in actively fighting for their rights. Why did Malcolm X deliver "The Ballot or the Bullet"? "The Ballot or the Bullet" is the title of a public speech by human rights activist Malcolm X.In the speech, which was delivered on two occasions the first being April 3, 1964, at the Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio and the second being on April 12th 1964 at the King Solomon Baptist Church, in Detroit, Michigan. On April 3, 1964 Malcolm X delivered one of the most empowering speeches in American history. That they feed on the problems that the black communities are having in order to gain votes. It's time now for you and me to become more politically mature and realize what the ballot is for; what we're supposed to get when we cast a ballot; and that if we don't cast a ballot, it's going to end up in a situation where we're going to have to cast a bullet. We encourage you to look for other examples of the same devices in the text to further enrich your an, An allusion is a reference to a person, event, or textthat is relevant to the speech. The mood oscillates between despair, anger, and hope. He appeals to the crowd's sense of pride, telling them that their children won't respect them if they don't take a stand against the white man. This government has failed the Negro". He emphasizes that the Negro vote is the key factor (para 12) that it is the only reason why they Democratic Party is a part of the government. _____Cole had all *ready *toasted the bagels by the time his parents woke up. Tone and Mood The tone is provocative and righteous. X's purpose is to awaken the black . Some of them were, some were atheists. [17], Malcolm said that the philosophy of Black nationalism was being taught in the major civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, CORE, and SNCC. The social philosophy of black nationalism advocates for reform of the community and reconstruction of it so it is more welcoming:[18]. The Ballot or the Bullet, Part 2 Summary and Analysis. Cone, pp. ", "Cassius Clay can sing, but singing didn't help him to become the heavyweight champion of the world; swinging helped him become the heavyweight champion", "It's not so good to refer to what you're doing as a "sit-in." Self-determination is the key to African American success, Democrats and Republicans work together to conspire against the advancement of African Americans' rights, African Americans must join together to redefine civil rights violations as human rights violations in order to take their case to the United Nations. George Washington and Patrick Henry didnt win the American revolution, the soldiers did. A ballot is like a bullet. You don't throw your ballots until you see a target, and if that target is not within your reach, keep your ballot in your pocket. JCBEdPRO. He came back to America with renewed purpose and a new perspective that redefined racism as an American rather than a black versus white problem. 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. Whereas the Civil Rights Movement advocated on behalf of integration and against segregation, the Nation of Islam favored separatism. It doesnt matter, he says, if you go to jail, because black people are already there. This speech is in the public domain. Gradesaver has a complete summary of "The Ballot of the Bullet" speech readily available in its study guide for this unit. And this was pointed out by the Supreme Court decision. If the word is correct, write C./ [2] Malcolm X advised African Americans to judiciously exercise their right to vote, but he cautioned that if the government continued to prevent African Americans from attaining full equality, it might be necessary for them to take up arms. [15], The proper solution, Malcolm X said, was to elevate the struggle of African Americans from one of civil rights to one of human rights. In addition, many African American men have fought and died in each war the United States has been involved in. Irony and sarcasm are often used in the speech to conveycriticism and making the audience realize they are victims of a biased system. For instance, Malcolm X suggests African Americans are living a nightmare instead of the American ideal of equa. White men won't even patronize you. A chump can sit. Correct the word in italics. An old man can sit. What are the main points of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? What is the tone of "The Ballot or the Bullet"? Let him go in there right now and take a moral stand right now, not later. In this speech, Malcolm stresses the need for the population of African American voters to increase in order to fight for equality. The tone is provocative and righteous. We've got to change our own minds about each other. Lyndon B. Johnson is the head of the Democratic Party. was the black mans vote that put the present administration in Washington, D.C. 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. Malcolm X was no banal man he was a extravagant civil rights speaker, he showed the truth on how coming together can put the end to African American indifference. Compared to whom we are now. He observes that the United States has reached its boiling point, demonstrated by the increasing use of weapons in confrontations. 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. Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. But, he said, the police department and local government often sided with segregationists against the Civil Rights Movement. How does he use his beliefs to persuade a mixed audience about the importance of voting to African Americans? This resource includes the annotated text of Malcolm X's famous "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech. [15], Malcolm X described his continued commitment to black nationalism, which he defined as the philosophy that African Americans should govern their own communities. [23], But, Malcolm said, there was still time to prevent this situation from developing:[23]. "that's what we are -- Africans who are in America. Malcolm asserts that he and other African Americans are not Americans because they are fighting for the rights that other Americans already have. In his, "The Ballot or the Bullet" was a public acknowledgment of. That is they have been politically informed then they will recognize that each election will end with the same outcome. the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. When a racial powder keg goes off, it doesn't care who it knocks out of the way. . He constantly used repetition of the words "the ballot or the bullet" in order to keep the thought present in the head of the audience, and after completing every thought, he found a way to connect it back to the issue of the ballot or the bullet. 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. Malcolm X highlights the frustrating struggle of African Americans' fight to be able to vote by mentioning John F. Kennedy's desire to force Cuba to have democratic elections. Malcolm X closes by defining his goal as a Black Nationalist who wants African Americans to gain political, economic, and social control over their communities. Through his triumph and survival of the murder of his father in 1931 when he was six years old, but also educating himself in prison which he was in for seven years from the ages 21-28 (Draper 7).With this story, it inspired people in the various ethnic communities, and neighborhoods. "No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down, In some ways, he was this town at its best-- strong, hard-. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. A coward can sit. How does he use his beliefs to persuade a mixed audience about the importance of voting to African Americans? ", a form of verbal irony generally intened as a witty insult. 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. Have all your study materials in one place. Some of them were Christians. To build a more compelling case against white Americans and the political class, meant to inspire the audience to fight for their rights with any means, the speaker uses a series of language tools called rhetorical devices. [6], When he left the Nation of Islam, Malcolm declared his willingness to cooperate with the Civil Rights Movement. 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. Example: (Your, Youre\underline{\textit{You're}}Youre) surprised that I knew that Notah Begay won a PGA golf tournament in 1999. 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. Coversational/familiar language particular to a particular region or dialect. He points out in 'The Ballot or the Bullet' that the Supreme Court has ruled against segregation, so those trying to enforce it, including the government, are "criminals" (1964). Before this ultimatum could ever be proposed . ", "As they nourish these dissatisfactions, it can only lead to one thing, an explosion;", extreme exaggeration of something that in reality may be quite logical to prove a point, "If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had with each other. ", "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. Africans who are in America despair, anger, and hope to try and change your religion sit-ins castrates black! Region or dialect peaceful protests such as sit-ins castrates the black man, says Malcolm doesnt matter, says! 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