Understanding that Malcolm Little, an African American, was born into a troubled family is important to accepting who he was as an individual. His father, a fiery and angry Christian preacher, was a follower of Marcus Garvey, the founder of the African-American “Back to Africa” movement. The Black Legion, a local black hate group, began harassing Mr. Little when they believed he was inciting blacks to rebel. “Almost everywhere his father went, black legionnaires reviled him as an 'uppity nigger' for wanting to own a store, for living outside the Lansing Negro district, for spreading unrest and dissent among the 'good niggers'.” (3) Most of Malcolm's life was spent without his father, as the Black Legion killed him while Malcolm was young. Malcolm grew up to be a troubled boy, who stole and caused a lot of damage. His family was separated when Malcolm was young. His mother was sent to an asylum due to the stress of having to support her family without a husband, while the younger children, including Malcolm, were sent to other families in the city. By the time Malcolm came of age, he was dealing drugs and referring wealthy people to prostitutes in and around Boston, Chicago, and New York. He also dabbled in armed robberies and home burglaries. When he was caught and sent to prison, he was encouraged by his biological brothers and sisters to become Muslim. “One day, in 1948, after I had been transferred to Concord Prison, my brother Philbert, who was always joining something, this time wrote to me that he had discovered the 'natural religion for the black man.' He now belonged, he said, to something called "the Nation of Islam." He said I should 'pray to Allah for deliverance.'” (158) He studied often while in prison and read many books. Reading about religion, he came to believe that Islam was “the black man's true religion.” After