Bishop Turner's Impact On The Pan African Movement

The argument of early Black Nationalists was that Americans would never allow equality in their political and justice system and the only solution would be for African Americans to move elsewhere and form a country of their own. One such leader is Bishop Henry Turner who advocated for the rights of the black people through acts such as encouraging them to participate in the civil war (Jordan 5). This essay therefore presents an analysis of Bishop Turner’s contribution to Black Nationalism and the impact he had on the Pan African movement.

Bishop Henry Turner was born in South Carolina and later converted to Christianity at the age of 20 (Andre 33). Throughout his evangelical ministry, he preached to both white and black American audiences until when he moved to Washington DC where he was able to preach to congress men. Turner together with some of his friends encouraged African-Americans to

He supported the idea that the only way to get equality and end oppression for the black Americans was to find a country in Africa which they could call their homeland. He made efforts to ensure this would happen through joining the American Colonial Society, visiting Africa to gain the support of Africans and even went to the extent of claiming that God is black (Edwin 274). His theological background was essential in opening the eyes of the black people to see that the White Man was not as superior as he made the Black Man think. Bishop Turner can also be considered to be a transnational figure because in addition to having endearing influence on the African-Americans, he was able to travel to several African countries and summon African leaders on the need to protest against the oppression and lynching of black people by the whites (Lewis 114). His influence knew no geographical boundaries or borders; to him a black person was a black person regardless of