Malcolm X
Malcolm XMALCOLM X
Malcolm X Timeline
May 19, 1925 - Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska
1940 - Drops out of school at age 15
1946 - Convicted of burglary and sent to prison
1949 - 1951 - Studies the Nation of Islam
1952 - Leaves prison, dedicates himself to Nation of Islam, changes name to Malcolm X
Jan. 14, 1958 - Marries Betty X
Dec. 4, 1963 - Suspended from the Nation of Islam
March 1964 - Leaves Nation of Islam, starts the Muslim Mosque, Inc.
Apr. 22, 1964 - Makes his Hajj (holy pilgrimage) and becomes El-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz
Jun. 28, 1964 - Forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity
Jul. 17, 1964 - Speaks at the Organization of African Unity in Cairo
Aug. 13, 1964 - U.S. State and Justice Departments take notice of his influence on African leaders at the U.N.
Feb 21, 1965 - Al Hajj Malik assassinated in New York
Malcolm X was probably one of the most controversial elements in the civil rights movement. Malcolm X had become a member of the Nation of Islam in his earlier years. The Islamic faith borrows basic ideas from the orthodox teachings of Islam and combines them with the very racist views regarding whites taught by Elijah Mohammed. Malcolm was a very influential priest for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X questioned some of the views and beliefs of the Nation of Islam, which made Mr. Mohammed and the rest of the Nation angry. This forced Malcolm to travel on a journey overseas to find out what his true beliefs were. When he reached Arabia, he found that it was a different society than that of which Elijah Mohammed had described it. Malcolm discovered that race played no role in determining a person’s status in society. Viewing this made a positive change in Malcolm X’s beliefs and views. This unity of human kind made Malcolm think and change his ideas about the solution to the racial problem in America. This was the most influential turning point in his life.
Malcolm first adopted his views and beliefs of the Nation of Islam while he was serving time in prison. By the time he had gotten out of prison, he had undergone a transformation from a drug-dealing thief to a religious priest for his newfound faith, the Nation of Islam. Malcolm had taken on in full Mr. Mohammed’s racist teachings. It was through these teachings that Malcolm X developed his radical views about race in America.
Under the guidance and teachings of Elijah Mohammed, Malcolm had targeted all whites and blamed them for position of African Americans in society. He referred to the whites as devils, which tried making the standards of blacks even lower then they already were. Malcolm X believed that complete segregation was the only way to end racial problems in America. He also said that all actions committed against blacks in history were due to the white race as a whole. Another one of his claims was that all...
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