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Africa for Africans

The year is 1923. The civil war had been over for almost 60 years. Yet, black men and women
still face oppression in the American system. This was especially prevalent in the Southern states. Pre-
civil war, they had significantly more slaves in the south than the north. After seeing these men and
women at a lower status than the rest of society, it was hard for the whites to accept their former slaves
into society. So began a very strenuous journey for freedom. During these years following the Civil War,
many movements promoted black rights. Some included famous speakers such as Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King Jr. These were just two of the many competing voices fighting for black freedom.
This excerpt was taken from a speech made by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican leader in the black
nationalist movement. This movement occurred during the beginning of the 20 th century. Proponents of
this movement support a single African state. They believe that only through this method would Africans
achieve equality with the law and society. While this was a very extreme position, it became one of the
more popular opinions among African-American society.
In his speech, Marcus Garvey equates many leaders of new states such as the British Empire and
French Democracy to the leaders of this future African state. He tells the tale of men, “who were not of
Jesus.”1 He states that regardless, of their “godly” status, men like Voltaire and Lenin were still able to
conquer and create kingdoms. Enticing the ex-slaves with thoughts of a new life and total equality was
very pleasing in the eyes of many. However, this message of unification did not just reach the ears of the
African population. The feeling of nationalism fueled the building of countries like Germany and Italy. 2
The feeling of unity and superiority over other countries fueled by nationalism led to World War II.
Throughout this movement, although not entirely successful, was the spearhead for new European
countries and a second Great War.

Word Count: 301


HR: None

1
Bentley, Jerry, Streets, Heather, and Herbert Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History (McGraw-
Hill Education, 2015), 606.
2
Bentley, Streets, Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters, 606.

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