Development of Islam in the US

What events and figures have shaped the development of Islam in the United States?

Possibly one of the largest motivators of the Islam movement in the United States was the civil rights movement. “The Christianity espoused by the dominant white population was interpreted as part of the pattern of oppression, and awareness grew that many of the slaves who had been brought from West Africa had been of Muslim faith” (Fisher, 2005). This is the key and most important event that has shaped the development of Islam, the fastest growing religion in the United States. There are other events that collaborate on this but the purpose of the civil rights movement was the largest motivator. There are people who also touted this message and more or less the object of their message was the same: Drew Ali (Moorish Science Temple of America), the Ahmadiyyah Movement, Elijah Muhammad (founded the Nation of Islam), Minister Louis Farrakhan (the current leader of the Nation of Islam), Malcolm X, and the famous boxer Muhammad Ali.