Marcus Garvey's Pan African

In the 20th century, a major driving force of the black nationalist movement was the creation of black-oriented religions that fueled enmity and hatred against whites, the foremost of which was the Nation of Islam, or the NOI. The NOI was formed in the 1930s by a Detroit peddler named W.D Fard. Fard influenced a young,

“Ibn Battuta’s stories give us a picture of Africa through eyes of a devote Muslim traveling all over the continent of Africa and the world. In his accounts sub-Saharan Africa is described prior to colonialism and racism. Ibn Battuta’s stories as they are transcribed in “Ibn Battuta, In Black Africa” by Said Hamdun and Noel King are representative of the only written account of this period and give us the most realistic and accurate account of this time in history.

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.

During the 19th and 20th century African Americans faced Discrimination in the United States. Three African Americans took roles of leadership and began trying to uplift the lives of blacks in society. Those who took control of this movement were Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey and W.E.B Dubois. These activists wanted the same result and implemented different techniques to follow their similar hopes for blacks in America. Each of these leaders has allowed America to develop in extensive ways for several years and those yet to come. Alternate pathways were taken by each leader to resolve the overall issue of racism. These issues include things such as not having the right to vote,own property and prevent lynchings. This paper will argue that had Garvey's theory of the new negro and Dubois’ ideas of education been implemented, racism in America would have been reduced because the allocation of education would allow for their to become a new negro. The application of Marcus Garvey's theory including thoughts of W.E.B Dubois’ on racism would have brought white power to an end.

At the beginning of the book, Haley describes how Malcolm’s father, a Baptist Minister, played an enormous role in his life. He taught Malcolm how be a strong independent man and provided him with a structure of beliefs. Most of his beliefs came from the teachings of Marcus Garvey, the founder of the U.N.I.A (Universal Negro Improvement Association), which was dedicated to raise the banner of black purity and exhorting the Negro masses to return to their ancestral African homeland. Haley then moves on to explain how Malcolm and his family faced a lot of discrimination throughout their lives. X even drops out of school at age 15 because his teachers told him that a black man will never become a lawyer. Malcolm would then go down a slippery slope using and selling drugs.

On September 9, 1739, the Stono Rebellion took place in the colony of South Carolina. The slaves, lead by an Angolan named Jemmy, stunned the plantation owners in their revolt against their oppressive lifestyle. Their goal was to march all the way to Spanish Florida, but they were eventually stopped by the militia. In total, about 60 white civilians were killed and many more slaves experienced the same fate. This was such a significant uprising, not only because of the lack of information we have about rebellions in general, but because it showed that slaves had the ability to revolt against the harsh lifestyle that was forced upon them. While most historians can agree that this was one of the most influential revolts, the best way to interpret this event is still debated. Some historians, like William Stephen, hone in on the aspect of competition in his piece “Spanish Designs and Slave Resistance”. While other look at specific factors. For example, John K, Thornton sees that the best way to view the Stono Rebellion is to look at the African background of slaves in his essay, “African Dimension of the Stono Rebellion”. Edward A Pearson, for example, asserts gender is the way to comprehend this revolt in his essay “Rebelling As Men”. All of these historians address important factors of the Stono Rebellion, however in order to best understand the Stono Rebellion one must consider both gender and African background and how it increased competition between the English and

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.

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.

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.

Established in 1909 as an attempt to combat the racial hatred and discrimination that plagued the era the NAACP emerged. By supporting such cases such as Moore V Dempsey, Guinn V United States and Brown v Board Of Education, the group’s influence in both modern day and past civil rights movements is irrefutable. With this in mind this group has also had its pitfalls and has not always, still to this day, have the support of the entire black community for varying reasons. Marcus Garvey was a major activist voice that vehemently disagreed with the goals and tactics of the NAACP.

Nonetheless, Garvey’s vision for Negroes was that we can do anything that we set our minds to regardless of the circumstances that we could face. Garvey writes, “ Let no man pull you down, let no man destroy your ambition, because man is but your companion, your equal; man is your brother; he is not your lord; he is not your sovereign master”. (p.1003) Garvey’s vision to the Negroes was that man is not the one you live for, God is the one who will be their with you to the end and he will never leave you.

This idea has taken on many different forms over the past century and a half, and its discourse has evolved alongside the major works of prominent figures like W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Delany, and Marcus Garvey. A common theme among these thinkers is the notion of historicizing the development of black culture relative to diasporic movements in the preceding centuries. However, they differ significantly in their visions and aspirations for the culture at large, as well as in their interpretations of how peoples of African descent should behave with respect to the dominant (primarily white) societies in which they live and function. In particular, earlier scholars like Du Bois tended to “sustain their faith in a partnership with white allies, wagering that [their] commitments to ‘civilization building’ ... would hasten the day when they and their race would be respected as equal partners” (Ewing 16). In contrast, Garvey, a contemporary of Locke, supported a radical agenda for African independence, and a mass migration to bring peoples of African descent back to Africa (Ewing 76).

Throughout the history of United States we have had different views of racial leadership in Afro American political thought from W.E.B Du Bois to Booker T. Washington to Marcus Garvey who sought to lead African-Americans from the oppression they face. All three of these historical figures had different views on racial leadership and politics as well as the vision and direction that racial emancipation should take. W.E.B Du Bois argued that African-Americans should political, economic, and social freedom and advancement. Booker T. Washington was more conservative in his approach in that African-Americans should first and foremost focus on economically advancing themselves first in order to seek equality in other areas. Marcus Garvey had a

He was an avid advocate for the rights of African Americans.He was very dedicated to making sure that African American had a right to vote, could use public facilities, and could attend public schools. During a speech in 1961, he committed to civil rights for all citizens of the United States. "We will not stand by or be aloof. We will move. I happen to believe that the 1954 [Supreme Court school desegregation] decision was right. But my belief does not matter. It is the law. Some of you may believe the decision was wrong. That does not matter. It is the law." In 1962 he sent US Marshals to make sure that African American students could go to the University of Mississippi (Alden Whitman, 2001).

The period between 1865 and 1945 saw some of the most dramatic social, political and economic changes in America. The key issue of black civil rights throughout this period was advocated and led by a range of significant, emotive and inspiring leaders. Marcus Garvey was a formidable public speaker and is often named as the most popular black nationalist leader of the early twentieth century. He believed in pan-Africanism and came nearer than any other black leader in mobilising African American masses. He was hailed as a redeemer and a “Black Moses” who tried to lead ‘his people back to freedom’. However, arguably although