Essay about Marcus Garvey

Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey shared some similar ideologies, however to a large extent Washington’s philosophies contradict Garvey’s outlook on African American society. Washington was known for accommodating the white people’s desires. For instance, “he advised African Americans to accept segregation, work hard for the friendship of whites, and achieve economic equity”. Washington probably encouraged African Americans to accept their circumstances, because he knew that fighting against norms would be a difficult task to accomplish and he wanted the race to better themselves through hard work during an era of prejudice. This belief contradicts Garvey’s ideas, because Garvey believed that pleasing the white man was the issue that prevented African Americans from being viewed as equals in the society. Although both men believed that working hard would gain Blacks an advantage in their community, Washington advocated for satisfying the white man while Garvey’s thoughts of Black Nationalism lied in the separate rights of Blacks and keeping the white man out of their way to success. Garvey’s ideology to promote economic equality of the black race was not liked by the white race, and compared to Washington’s policy of accommodation and gradual progress, was more acceptable to whites.

This paper will go on to describe the direct impact of the Great War on all African American migration, military service, and political protest. These three things would have combined to make the years of the Great War a major impact on African American history. When war first erupted in Europe in August of 1914, most Americans - African Americans included - did not see a reason for the United States to get involved, many viewing the bloodshed as petty in the activities of their everyday lives. This belief of neutrality amongst the people would only grow stronger as stalemates ensued, and death rates climbed higher. As the war raged on, the Black press would aim its papers to side with the French, because of their continued commitment for racial equality, as well as, their employment of African soldiers in their military. When the United States entered the war, it would have a great impact on many African Americans, particularly the many men, women, and children who embarked on the Great Migration - the largest movement of people in American history.

Following the victory of Allied forces from World War I, black troops were sent home to a whole other war for Democracy. African Americans still faced many

As war spread across Europe in 1914-1918, black Americans saw a second opportunity in which they could use the war to their advantage, in securing the respect of their white neighbours. This contemporary conflict brought about great controversy within the black community, being asked to fight for a democracy on behalf of a country in which they did not receive equal treatment. Many activists did support the war effort, including DuBois announcing ‘while the war lasts [blacks] must forget [their] special grievances … fight shoulder to shoulder with white fellow citizens… For democracy’ (Heinze, 2003). Paradoxically, when it came to the drafting of the volunteers, blacks came under a total polarization of customary discriminatory practice. Blacks were instructed to tear corners of their registry cards, thus becoming easily identified, to be inducted separately to white volunteers. (Murray, 1971). Now, under usual circumstances, the Black citizens would be turned away, the war office began doing all they could within their power to bring them into service, and surprisingly, this was most common among the Southern boards, demonstrated by the Confederate army during the civil war. The army established a more progressive attitude toward race relations than mainland America, by the end of 1917, African Americans served in cavalry, infantry, medical and engineer positions. The war allowed for the black Americans to begin asserting their citizenship, protesting racial injustice on

African-Americans attempted to establish themselves and prove to whites that they were capable citizens. Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association emphasized racial pride and economic self-help, and Booker T. Washington, leading spokesperson for the plight of African-Americans, told blacks to ignore racial slurs and inferiority comments while working to build self-dignity and worth. Washington believed that in order to identify themselves, they had to cooperate with whites and gain respect over time. In Addition, many African-Americans began to define themselves as a race in the nineteenth century by leaving white churches and creating their own. They worshiped according to their own customs, chose leaders, managed religious affairs, and established a lifestyle of their own. The African-Americans as a race attempted to define themselves as dignified, economically independent citizens.

By 1919 the UNIA reached its peek with about 2,000,000 members and hundreds of branches worldwide. Marcus also founded the Negro Factories Corporation (NFC) which its purpose was to promote black economic independence by providing money and labor to black business owners. It also helped to build factories in the United States, Africa, Central America, and the West Indies. He also founded the first and, to this day, the largest black-owned multinational businesses, the Black Star Line (BSL), which focused on purchasing boats and serving an international shipping triangle that would return black people to their homeland of Africa. The shipping triangle revolved around the United States, West Indies, and Africa. Marcus Garvey not only founded companies or groups, but he also founded the Negro World in 1918, which was the leading black weekly and soon had 50,000 readers in the United States, Latin America, the West Indies, and Africa. Due to it’s content of black equality and freedom, the British and the French banned it from their African colonies. Even leaders who did not agree with Garvey’s ideas appreciated his efforts to build black pride and political independence (Kranz, Koslow 86).

Also during this time Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), in which they both aimed to bring opportunities into the African American community. Not only did this help make African Americans feel proud of their race, but it also brought them together, not only in New York, but all over the country. They soon began to create a lifestyle for themselves that was equivalent to the White Americans and began to advance in the areas of jazz music, art, and literature. All this is what was starting to become known as the Harlem Renaissance.

In document 1, Rollin Lynde Hartt talks about the blacks during the 1920’s. The term Hartt uses is “The New Negro”, and he explains how blacks want their rights and simply don’t care about the segregation process as long as they cut to the chase. The black community is tired of being treated like they don’t belong and they don’t see a reason to continue fighting a losing battle. Soon Marcus Gravey establishes the Universal Negro Improvement Association in Jamaica. Marcus later comes to the United States and tells blacks that it’s time for them to separate themselves from the whites and know where they stand. The blacks had understood that it was a call for them to return to Africa. This is an example of social and cultural division during the 1920’s. The whites saw them as if they were less after all they had fought for and, the whites still managed to be racist even after the 1920’s.

According to Marcus Garvey, the “Negro’s greatest enemy” were white people and politicians. Essentially, politicians, of every race, were blocking his efforts. Garvey communicated that there was no solution to this problem, unless black people created their own country. This would have given them economical and social freedom. Since God was their inspiration, it was always intended that everyone was free, and not was not to be enslaved by others. Garvey thought that no one should ever feel superior, when it came to race. Although, Garvey did not outright convey who the “enemy” was, it can be interpreted that white people were the enemy.

The 1920’s were a time of change for African Americans. They were beginning to retain a sense of pride in their background and culture, were becoming more independent socially and economically, and were becoming more militant. Part of this was because of the Great Migration, in which a proliferation of African Americans moved from the Southern states to the Northern states, and the excessive levels of racism and prejudice they faced during the process. African Americans were really starting to make their voices and identities prevalent, especially through movements like the Harlem Renaissance and Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). This mentality of independence and militance that African Americans adopted which is represented through the actions of Ossian Sweet is what makes up the 1920s cultural construct of the “New Negro” which allowed me to understand the realness and effectiveness of cultural constructs.

In many ways it could be argued that Marcus Garvey was the most significant African American civil rights leader of this time because of his role in tackling the social issues African American’s faced. He aimed to improve the lives of African Americans by encouraging them to take control of their own affairs and education. His role surrounding this issue is illustrated by his founding of the UNIA. This Universal Negro Improvement Association was an organisation dedicated to racial pride, economic self sufficiency and the formation of an independent black nation in Africa. Through this and the magazine the ‘Negro World’ he urged African Americans to be proud of their race, and argued “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”. It has been said that through Garvey’s dedication to social improvement for his race he managed to capture the imagination of many blacks for whom the American Dream was a dirty joke.

His mother stayed at home with Malcolm and his 7 siblings while his father stayed busy as a Baptist minister and supporter of the Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Garvey was the voice of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements. When the popularity of those began to decrease, he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. This started a global mass movement called Garveyism. Garveyism soon inspired many others particularly from the Nation of Islam to the Rastafari movement. Some may say that Malcolm took inspiration from his father and that is why he grew interest in Islam and without his father in the position he was in, might not have ever influenced Malcolm to accomplish the great things he

Millions of blacks world-wide were inspired to become successful and stop racial deprivation. By 1920, the UNIA had hundreds of chapters all around the world. They hosted international conventions and created a widely spread newspaper, called the Negro World. With the help of UNIA, Garvey launched the steamship company Black Star Line. The steamship was used to promote trade and commercial activities between black all around the world. However, Garvey was robbed of his money by overcharging-engineers and this began the decline of The Black Star Line. F.B.I. director, J. Edgar Hoover felt threatened by this, he believed this would cause blacks to stand up in rebellion. So he began a plan to ruin Garvey. Hoover spent years trying to find incriminating personal information on him, he even hired the first black F.B.I. agent to spy on him. After hiring more spies, they sabotaged The Black Star Line by damaging its engines. Unfortunately, Hoover was able to find evidence that suggested Garvey was guilty of mail fraud. On June 23, 1923 he was sentenced to five years in prison but only served four years. He was deported back to Jamaica in 1927, where he continued his work in the UNIA. He moved to London in 1935 to try to revive his political career and status. He collaborated with Senator Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi, an open segregationist and white supremacist. Together they

The racial pride exhibited by Garvey fueled his vision of political and economic independence for blacks. Garvey emphasized that any that any political or social gains made by blacks would be fleeting without an economic foundation.

Marcus Garvey was important because he aided in inspiring a mass movement amongst African Americans. Garvey make efforts to show African Americans economic empowerment meanwhile sharing the importance of taking part in politics and have greater impacts. Along with these many accomplishments, his biggest accomplishment was becoming the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League in Jamaica. Garvey came to the United States in 1916 and launched the New York Division of the UNIA the following year. This association started off with merely thirteen members and exponentially grew to approximately 3500 members. Garvey has reached new heights of power within his career in the late 1920s when he headed an international convention in Liberty Hall, containing frequent delegates in attendance from 25 countries. Garvey also led a parade of over 50,000 throughout all of Harlem.