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Summary of the Ballot or the Bullet

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Summary of the Ballot or the Bullet
Summary of "The Ballot or the Bullet"

Malcolm X emphasizes voting as a solution to ending discrimination against Blacks. He addresses the poor leaders and the denial of voting rights to Blacks. He saw that elections had been narrowly decided and that the Black vote was the deciding factor in these elections. (PARAGRAPH 10) He wanted people to understand that when candidates promise to pass legislation favorable to Blacks, those candidates must be held accountable after the elections and that these empty promises and stall tactics needed to end. (PARAGRAPH 16) He pointed out that in the south, Blacks were completely being denied their voting privileges while in the north, politicians would remap the district voting lines where Blacks are a majority, to prevent those that the politicians did not want in office from getting elected. (PARAGRAPH 20) Malcolm X says that either "the ballot or the bullet" are the only solutions to the civil rights struggle they face. That through legislation, the government must allow Blacks proper voting rights or a violent approach will be their method to influence government into that decision. He also stated that because of the corruption of the government, they had to appeal to the world and not just the United Staes. The issue of Black discrimination needed to rise from a civil rights issue to a human rights issue, allowing their case to be taken to a United Nations committee that deals with human rights. This plan would have America being forced to deal with the issue of Black civil rights on a world stage in front of a General Assembly. (PARAGRAPH 32-33) Malcom X believes that the Black community needs to put aside their differences and unite and tell the leaders of the communities and country that legislation change must come and a decision needs to be made immediately or else those leaders will force a hostile climate. (PARAGRAPH

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