[A-List] Notes on Malcolm X Ballot or the Bullet - Black Liberation

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(As stated earlier a massive undertaking is evolving to rewrite American  
history from the stand point of the lowest section of society Marx calls the  
proletariat. The expressed purpose is to alter the entire framework of  
understanding and articulation of the social struggle in America this decade and  the 
next. ) 
 
Melvin P. 



NOTES ON “The Ballot or the Bullet”  



People who fail to study Black history are likely not to  understand the 
trans-generational dialogue that represents the radical Black  tradition.  This is 
certainly true with Malcolm X.  An outline of how  the Black radical 
tradition leads to Malcolm X can be found in our study guide  published in 1990. 
http://www.brothermalcolm.net/studyguide/study_guide.pdf  



The Ballot or Bullet speech by Malcolm X was given in  1964.  Frederick 
Douglass, over 100 years earlier in 1859, wrote an article  titled “The Ballot and 
the Bullet.” (Volume 2, pages 457-458, The Life and  Writings of Frederick 
Douglass (4 volumes) edited by Philip S. Foner).  In  this work Douglass says the 
following: 



“If speech alone could  have abolished slavery, the work would have been done 
long ago.  What we  want is an anti-slavery government, in harmony with our 
anti-slavery speech, one  which will give effect to our words, and translate 
them into acts.  For  this, the ballot is needed, and if this will not be heard 
and heeded, then the  bullet.  We have had cant enough, and are sick of it.  
When  anti-slavery laws are wanted, anti-slavery men should vote for them; and 
when a  slave is to be snatched from the hand of a kidnapper, physical force 
is needed,  and he who gives it proves himself a more useful anti-slavery man 
than he who  refuses to give it, and contents himself by talking of a “sword of 
the spirit.”  



This ballot or bullet theme in Black radicalism is a fundamental  tenet of 
American politics because this was part of the main ideological  rationale for 
the American anti-colonial war of liberation from England.   This was clearly 
stated at the beginning of the 1776 Declaration of Independence  – 228 years 
ago.  See and read the full text if you want to understand the  tradition on 
which Malcolm X stands, a radical American tradition:  
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara1.html 



This is a  study guide for the “Ballot or the Bullet” speech by Malcolm X.  
This  speech was part of a Spring 1964 offensive by Malcolm X.  It is 
important  to be clear on the historical context in which he was giving political  
leadership.  There were forces that came first and must have impacted  Malcolm X’
s thinking: 

Robert Williams and his Monroe North Carolina  armed self defense strategy as 
summer up in his book Negroes with Guns (1962)  Deacons for Defense and 
Justice, an armed group formed in Louisiana in 1964  Revolutionary Action Movement, 
a group that Malcolm joined, and who went on to  influence the development of 
the Black Panther Party 


US President  Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, and Johnson 
consolidated his  leadership of the Kennedy administration by staying the course and 
supporting  major civil rights legislation.  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was 
signed  into law July 2, 1964.  During the summer of 1964 SNCC led the civil 
rights  organizations into a coalition called COFO formed in 1962 for a major 
offensive  in Mississippi.  This was the Mississippi Summer Project.  Hundreds 
of  activists poured into the state and confronted the heart of racist state  
power.  The House passed the bill in February 1965, but a Senate filibuster  
held it up.   The Senate filibuster ended on June 19th.    Three movement 
activists were martyred by assassination in Philadelphia  Mississippi on June 21st 
(Goodman, Chaney, and Swerner).  Out of the  Mississippi project came a 
political party, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic  Party MFDP.  From the local 
precinct level to a delegation going to the  national convention the MFDP fought 
the racist party organization that excluded  Black people.  The main civil 
rights leaders tried to get the MFDP to  accept being seated but without voice or 
vote, and they rejected this as a sell  out.  SNCC had rejected it. 



In the mean time bullets kept  flying:  



2/21/65             ASSASINATION of Malcolm X  

8/13/65             REBELLION in Watts, Los Angeles, California  

6/66                  Black Power slogan emerges in militant march in 
Mississippi  

10/66                Black Panther Party organized in Oakland California  

6/67                  REBELLION in Detroit, Michigan  

7/67                  REBELLION in Newark, New Jersey  

10/67                ASSASSINATION of Che Guervara  

4/6/68               ASSASSINATION of Bobby Hutton, Black Panther  

6/68                  League of Revolutionary Black Workers organized in 
Dewtroit  

12/4/69             ASSASSINATION of Fred Hampton, Black Panther 



In 1965-66 the  struggle was developing.  The defeat of the Watts rebellion 
led to the  ideological advance of the Black Power slogan, and the new 
revolutionary  organization called the Black Panther Party, followed two years later 
by the  workers throwing up a new revolutionary force on the factory floor 
called the  League of Revolutionary Black Workers.  The US armed forces put down 
major  urban rebellions, and assassination of Black radical leaders continued.  



The 1964 presidential campaign brought forward the ultra right  via Barry 
Goldwater.  By 1966 Black Power emerged as a key ideological  slogan and 
electoral victories led to the first major Black Mayors of Cleveland  and Gary in 
Indiana.  By 1968 things get even more extreme when George  Wallace the leading 
segregationist politician as Gov of Alabama runs for  president and wins the 
Indiana primary!  A struggle for power was taking  place. 



Malcolm X laid the basis for understanding these events  

the Senate filibuster, and racist state power the murders, and unity  between 
the Klan and the government the emergence of Black Power, in both the  
electoral form and more militant forms as well. 


These analyses point  to a theory of the US racist capitalist state based on 
finding a strategy to  fight against it: 

Power of southern fascism Black United Front Armed  self defense Black 
liberation as self determination Notes on THE LAST MESSAGE  



Malcolm X made his speech later titled “The Last Message” in  Detroit under 
unusual circumstance.  The night before his house had been  bombed, and a week 
later he was assassinated in New York City.  A local  physician had given him 
a sedative just before the talk, hence his rhetorical  style is unusually 
subdued but he maintains his characteristic sharp insight,  penetrating wit, and 
command of vernacular culture. 



Malcolm X  used this talk to sum up three basic points: 



The global  situation involves the contradiction between the former colonial 
powers (US,  France, England, etc.) versus the African revolution. 


African is  viewed as a threat because of the external threat of the African 
Revolution and  the internal threat of the African Americans joining with the 
African Revolution  against a common enemy. 


Armed resistance is necessary to fight a  violent oppressive system. 


He had traveled and spoken with many  African leaders – hence we need to 
study them to learn the lessons that might  have been passed on the Malcolm X.  
When the archive is open of his  material currently being organized at the 
Schomburg, we will be able to study  the notes he took in these meetings.  He met 
with the following leaders:  



Gamal Nasser (1918-1970)  
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/5270/index2.htm 


Jomo  Kenyatta (1889-1978)  
http://www.africawithin.com/bios/jomo_kenyatta.htm  


Julius Nyerere (1922-1999) http://www.southcentre.org/mwalimu/  


Sekou Toure (1922-1984)  http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/cm/africana/sekou.htm 


Kwame Nkrumah  (1909-1972) http://www.nkrumah.net/ 


Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904-1996)  
http://www.greatepicbooks.com/epics/february99.html 


Malcolm X tried  to prepare Black militants for the armed phase of the 
spontaneous uprisings that  rocked the 1960’s. 

He discusses his position of responding to all  attacks and assassinations 
with “Maximum retaliation!” 


He warns  against mercenaries – private security forces used by corporations 
to control  the cities and by Bush to invade and loot Iraq. 


He warns against the  lies, distortions, and silences of the media. 


He calls for the Old  Testament biblical logic of “an eye for an eye.”