Life,+Assassination,+and+Legacy+of+Malcolm+X+1965

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Malcolm X is well known name in the Civil Rights time period. He was born originally name Malcolm Little. Growing up he lived a life of poverty and violence. He had also faced much racism, such as his house trying to be burned down. By the age of thirteen, his father had already died, his mother was sent to a mental hospital, separated from his eight siblings, and was living in a juvenile detention home. At the age of twenty he was sentenced to ten years in prison. During Malcolm’s time in prison he started to learn about the Nation of Islam, or Black Muslims. The movement was very devoted to believing a separatist ideology, and that the “White Man” was the devil. When Malcolm was released in 1952 he went to live with Elijah Muhammad, leader of Black Muslims, and became an inspiration speaker. He was able to attract many people towards the movement by starting his own newspaper. Since he was anti-integration, Malcolm would not cooperate with groups like the NAACP. On December 1, 1963 Malcolm X had described the assassination of John F. Kennedy as “The chickens coming home to roost.” Causing stir that African American hatred had been somewhat responsible for the assassination, Muhammad suspended him for ninety days. By 1964 Malcolm X split from the Nation of Islam. After leaving, he created a group called the Muslim Mosque, Inc. His new group was focused on a back-to-Africa movement. Later he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca and countries in Africa. The pilgrimage had altered his views to no longer believing that the “White Man” was evil. After Malcolm had formed another group called, Organization of Afro-American Unity. The purpose of this organization was to work with other African-American groups that he had not gotten along with in the past. This angered and offended many Muslim followers. On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was assassinated at the age of thirty nine. He predicted that he would be killed by members of the Nation of Islam. Just as he believed, two of the shooters were Black Muslims. [|3] [|4]

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