Marcus Garvey once said, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” In this book readers have the opportunity to get to know one of the greatest civil rights activists Marcus Garvey. Arguably, it was the spark that lit the fuse for racial equality in the United States. The book Marcus Garvey takes readers through Marcus Garvey's early life and also some of his successes and failures throughout his life and his influence on black people around the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayMarcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. was born on August 17, 1887 in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica. He was the youngest child born to Marcus Sr. and Jane Richards. Marcus Sr. taught his son to be strong and courageous and to never succumb to superior forces if he believed he was right. This was the mentality that would later transform Marcus into an iconic revolutionary. Young Marcus did not attend school for a long time. Garvey's family was very poor, so to help support them he became a printer's apprentice at the age of 14. He then went to Kingston, Jamaica, where he worked for several years as a printer for a local newspaper. Marcus developed key skills that would launch him on the path to greatness. After moving to Kingston, Gravy became interested in political and social issues and was even involved in an unsuccessful union strike. Garvey valued the political side of life and the ability to effect change. A self-taught young man, Marcus Gravey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, Garvey's work inspired many people throughout Central America. He encouraged blacks to start a country and “their own absolute government.” He had a particular interest in African Americans. He had heard the stories of how African Americans were treated in the United States and knew that things needed to change, but because of that he knew he wasn't ready to face America yet. He believed that his movement was not yet strong enough to confront the brutality of the American government. In 1912, for unknown reasons, he decided to return to Jamaica and left again a year later to move to England. While in England, Garvey worked with Duse Mohamed Alie, in London. Ali had an influential pan-African newspaper, “The African Times and Orient Review”. While in England, Garvey also traveled to many different European countries, spreading his education on how European government systems worked. He believed that most systems in European governments only worked for Europeans. He encouraged blacks to join the government or return home to Africa. After working in various places over the years, Garvey felt it was time to shift his influence to what he considered the most dangerous place, the United States. In 1916, Booker T. Washington invited Marcus Garvey to come to the United States. It came at the beginning of the New Black Era. Garvey considered it the perfect time to be in the United States. He felt that this was the best time to really initiate change in America. The movement had no real leader at the time and Garvey was very confident that he could lead it. Garvey settled in New York City and opened a chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which further prompted the fight for equality among African Americans. In August 1920, the UNIA held its first International Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In front of a crowd of 25,000 people from all over the world, MarcusGarvey spoke of pride in African history and culture. Many found his words inspiring, but not all. Some established black leaders found his separatist philosophy ill-conceived. WEB Du Bois, a prominent black leader and NAACP officer, called Garvey "the most dangerous enemy" of the Negro race in America. " Garvey felt that Du Bois was an agent of the white elite. This did not stop Garvey: he knew that not everyone would agree with his beliefs, but he continued to educate the African American people. With the help of many willing African Americans of success, in 1919 Garvey launched the "Black Star Line". The Black Star Line was a shipping company for black trade and transportation. Garvey named his first ship Yarmouth. The ship transported black passengers and cargo between America, the Caribbean and Africa It also served as a simple black business Garvey wanted to make sure that blacks, especially African Americans, knew that they had other options and that they did not have to stay in their current nation to return home to Africa or to introduce them into. a better place, Garvey also founded the Negros Factories Association, a series of companies that would produce marketable goods in every major industrial center in the Western Hemisphere and Africa. He also wanted to help other black businessmen in these countries by transporting goods for them and encouraging blacks to buy from other blacks around the world. This would help empower Black people and also keep money within Black communities. Many ships were sabotaged by the Bureau of Investigation under the direction of J Edgar Hoover. The Yarmouth's first assignment was to transport a cargo of whiskey from the United States to Cuba before the onset of Prohibition. The "Yarmouth" remained stranded in the Havana dock and was losing money for weeks. Ships mysteriously began to run out of cargo and become damaged. As a commercial enterprise, the Black Star Line quickly became a disaster. Garvey's supporters began to dwindle as in many cases they donated their life savings to support him. The company's losses totaled $1.25 million, and Garvey could not afford to purchase any more ships. In 1922, Marcus Garvey and three other UNIA officials were accused of mail fraud involving the Black Star Line. Court documents indicate that several injustices occurred in the prosecution of the case. The shipping company's books contained many accounting errors. In 1923 Garvey was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. In 1927 he was released from prison and deported to Jamaica. Garvey continued his political activism and UNIA work in Jamaica, then moved to London in 1935. Due to his time in prison, he had lost some of his influence in the world. Garvey felt he had failed black people everywhere, but he regretted nothing he had done. He felt that even if he lost support, his teachings would remain in the hearts of many. In 1940 Marcus Garvey died in London after suffering several strokes. Due to travel restrictions during World War II, Garvey was buried in London. In 1964, his remains were exhumed and taken to Jamaica, where the government proclaimed him Jamaica's first national hero and reburied him in a shrine in Heroes' National Park. His memory and influence have endured throughout the world, and his message of pride and dignity inspired many in the early days of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. In tribute to his many contributions, Garvey's bust was displayed in the Hall of Heroes of the Organization of American States in Washington, DC. 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