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Classroom · Grades 9–12

Malcolm X

Malcolm X repeatedly reinvented himself, and his arguments for self-determination, self-defense, and international solidarity shaped the Black Power movement and debates over strategy that continue today.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 9–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 2 (Time, Continuity, and Change) and 6 (Power, Authority, and Governance); C3 D2.His.5.9-12, D2.His.6.9-12
Reading
Malcolm X (profile)

Big Idea

Malcolm X repeatedly reinvented himself, and his arguments for self-determination, self-defense, and international solidarity shaped the Black Power movement and debates over strategy that continue today.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Malcolm X, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Malcolm X took the surname X to reject a name he saw as imposed by slaveholders. Why do names carry so much weight in struggles over identity and power?
  2. Malcolm X criticized integration and nonviolence, while Martin Luther King Jr. championed them. What goals did the two men share, and where did their strategies truly differ?
  3. After his hajj in 1964 Malcolm X wrote that worshipping alongside Muslims of every color changed his view of race. How did his ideas change during his final year, and what stayed the same?
  4. In 2021 a court vacated the convictions of two men for his murder after finding that evidence had been withheld. What does that outcome suggest about how history and justice can be revised?

Activity

Students browse the National Archives research guide to records about Malcolm X and list the kinds of federal records that exist (for example, FBI files and photographs). In small groups they discuss why government agencies kept such records and what those records can and cannot tell a historian about Malcolm X’s own views. Groups then compare a short passage from Walker’s Appeal (1830) with the profile’s summary of Malcolm X’s arguments for self-determination and self-defense, and write a paragraph on continuities in Black nationalist thought across more than a century (35–40 minutes).

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Malcolm X.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/malcolm-x/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Malcolm X. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/malcolm-x/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Malcolm X.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/malcolm-x/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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