Malcolm X - life time-line

February 14, 1965   Malcolm X's home is firebombed.

February 21, 1965   Malcolm X is assassinated he begins speaking at the Audubon Ballroom, New York.

1. Malcolm x's childhood was definatly rough. He had ten brothers and sisters  and his father was murdered. His father was an organiser for the marcus garvey negro association and believed that blacks would never find peace in America and that they should just go back to Africa and live a simple but happy and peaceful life. At the age of twelve he was put in a reform center for safety. He dropped out of school after 8th grade and moved to Boston and then New York first working as a shoe shiner and dining car worker; then engaging in numbers running , drug pushing and soliciting customers for a brothel. He went down a slipery slope and eventually got cuaght for burglary and larceny in 1952.His rough childhood certainly did affect his views. He passionatly hated white people and called them a race of devils. He also learnt to stand up for his self and when he wanted something he would have toi make alot of noise.

2. In prison Malcolm X was introduved to islam and the so called black muslims led by Elijah Muhammed. He wrote to Elijah almost daily These black muslims believed that blacks were superior to whites and blacks should take control of things. He found this answered alot of his questions in life so he joined this black movement. He became a convert to islam and changed his name to Malcolm X. The X in his name represented the African tribe he came from but did not know. His original name was Malcolm Little which was the slave name given to him so that is why he felt the need to change it. Prison i think made Malcolm X stronger and prepared him for what was to come. During prison he preached his islamic beliefs to other inmates. At the age of 27 after serving six and a half years of imprisonment he was released upon the world. After his imprisonment he was always well groomed and and stopped drinking and smoking.

3. He believed white people were devils and were inferior to blacks. He wanted seperation from the whites which is totally different to what Martin Luther King thought. MLK (Martin Luther king) believed that whites and blacks should live in a peaceful and integrated society and aimed to achieve this by peaceful protest. Malcolm X on the other hand wanted seperation and believed if the goal was to be achieved the blacks would have to use any means possible. Over time he became the best known evangelist of the nation of islam and was affective at getting media attention. The nation of islam increased in numbers greatly during the 1950's due to Malcolm X. He established a new temple in boston in 1953 and a new temple in philadelphia in 1955.

4. Malcolm X like every devoted Muslim found time and decided to go on the sacred islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and  he also travelled Africa aswell. His views  greatly changed after this pilgrimage for the better. He no longer thought violence was neccessary. On the pilgrimage he saw all races on the earth united together worshiping one god and saw them in peace. It was recorded several times after his pilgrimage that he said it is wrong to group all white people as racist. He left the black Muslims and became a convert to the orthodox islam and was bitterly denounced by his old friend Elijah Muhammed and his home was fire bombed and he and his family just escaped injury. He formed the organisation of Afro-American unity and tried to bring the black struggle in the us before the UN .

5. On febuary 21st 1965 Malcolm X was assasinated by rival black Muslims while addressing a gathering at the Audobon ballroom in washington heights Newyork city at the age of 39. Obviously people would react but sure enough the Black Muslim headquarters were burned in San Fransisco and New York two days after his death. It was only a year later that the three men who murdered him were put on trial and covicted of his murder. There was even a Malcolm X day celebrated every year to one of the greatest black leaders to have ever lived.