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Marcus Garvey Research Paper

768 Words4 Pages

Curtis Crymes
Mrs. Nolt
Honors American History II
21 October 2015
Marcus Garvey Marcus Garvey, a leading proponent of Garveyism and the Black Nationalism movement in the U.S during the 1920s and 1930s, inspired a reaching and lasting influence throughout the U.S and Europe during his life and after death. During this time period, African Americans struggled to integrate into American society as events such as lynching and Jim Crow Laws occurred. In response, Marcus Garvey set out to create a separate status for black people in the U.S and abroad, promoting self-sufficiency and racial pride (Biography.com) Marcus Garvey was born in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica on August 17, 1887 (Biography.com). He was born the last of eleven children to his father …show more content…

After returning home to Jamaica, Garvey established the Universal Negro Improvement Association or UNIA which promoted African nationalist ideas by supporting the creation of a modern state in Africa for African Americans (History.com). The organization grew rapidly, expanding to contain over thirty branches and two million members by 1919 and almost four million members a year later (John Simkin). While the organization protested examples of racism in the U.S such as Jim Crow laws, it pushed to do so by promoting racial segregation in the U.S, encouraging African Americans to live in Africa, and by promoting economic self-sufficiency and racial pride (John Simkin). After founding the UNIA, Garvey toured the U.S in 1916, promoting his African nationalist ideas. In addition to founding the massive organization of the UNIA, Garvey also established the Black Cross Navigation and Trading Company in 1919 and subsequently purchased two steamships (John Simkin). This organization worked to encourage trading between businesses in Africa and the U.S and to attempt to repatriate African Americans to Africa. Though Garvey had a massive influence for the time being, he was convicted and arrested for fraud within his organizations in 1925 and deported to Jamaica the following year (John Simkin). Unfortunately, Garvey’s organizations began to falter and fail as a result of his conviction, resulting in the UNIA eventually decreasing in influence and ceasing to exist (Biography.com). Despite this major setback and a decrease in power and influence, Garvey continued to spread his ideas through lectures in Europe and the U.S, as well as through publishing numerous newspapers and magazines (John Simkin). However, during a tour of London, Marcus Garvey died on June 10, 1940 as a result of multiple strokes

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