By Any Means Necessary: Speeches, Interviews, and a Letter by Malcolm X (1970). Content and Description

As does Malcolm X Speaks, this book includes significant speeches and interviews that represent major aspects of Malcolm X’s political thought. What sets this work apart from Malcolm X Speaks is that it is exclusively comprised of materials pertinent to Malcolm X’s views after his estrangement from the Nation of Islam. Rather than speaking in the name of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in By Any Means Necessary Malcolm X conveys his profoundly changed views on theology, politics, and social conventions.

In each of these areas, he expressed views that were no longer parochially confined to the teachings and daily dictates of the NOI’s commander in chief. Instead of referring to Message to the Blackman or How to Eat to Live, both authored by Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm relies on the Qur’an as his ultimate authority in this collection. Rather than place all of his emphasis on the development of different components of the NOI, such as its paramilitary organization the Fruit of Islam or the official newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, Malcolm X organized a political party designed to attract black people of all religious beliefs.

Instead of seeing the world in exclusively black and white racial terms that focused on civil rights, he broadened his view by offering means for multiracial and international considerations, as human rights became his central focus. Finally, this book is significant because Betty Shabazz authorized it after her husband’s death. She was not identified as the editor, but it is clear that her copyright of the work was intended as her approval of its contents.

The speeches included in Malcolm X Speaks and in By Any Means Necessary are referred to in the final chapters of his Autobiography. The final year of his life was hectic and did not allow much time to be spent with Alex Haley reflecting on the meaning of the events in 1964 and early 1965. The pace and urgency of his life are reflected in the abbreviated versions of speeches referred to in the Autobiography.

For Discussion or Writing:
1. After reading By Any Means Necessary, write a well-developed essay exploring how Malcolm X’s definition of black nationalism changed after his journeys to Africa and Mecca.

2. Many claim that Malcolm X is one of the most misunderstood political activists of the 20th century: His legacy continues to suffer from the common misperception that he was and remained to the end of his life a black supremacist, as was the NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. Construct an essay in which you argue for or against this contention, using passages from By Any Means Necessary to support everything you say.

3. In an interview with A. B. Spellman, Malcolm X speaks at length about the “Christian-Gan- dhian Philosophy” professed by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Read one of King’s works, such as Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (1958), and evaluate Malcolm X’s comments. Write a well-developed essay in which you take a firm stance on whether Malcolm X’s criticisms of the nonviolent faction of the Civil Rights movement are valid. Is Malcolm X’s rationale for using violence in self-defense convincing? Does King provide a more convincing rationale for nonviolent protest? Make sure to support your argument with passages from both texts.

Works Cited and Additional Resources:
Benson, Thomas W. “Malcolm X.” In American Orators of the Twentieth Century: Critical Studies and Sources, edited by Bernard K. Duffy and Halford R. Ryan, 317-322. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1987.

Bloom, Harold, ed. Alex Haley and Malcolm X’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Chelsea House, 1996.

Bradley, David. “Malcolm’s Mythmaking.” Transition 56 (1992): 20-46.
Breitman, George. The Assassination of Malcolm X. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1991.

Carangelo, Audrey. “What’s in a Name? Understanding Malcolm X.” 2006. Discovery Education. Available online. URL: http://school.discovery. com/lessonplans /programs/malcolmx/. Accessed June 16, 2006.

Carson, Clayborne. Malcolm X: The FBI File. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1991.
Clark, John Henrik. The Man and His Times. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 1969.