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In this paper, the document that I choose is Document 23-5 that comes from ‘Reading the American Past: Selected Historical Documents.’ This document is called or named ‘The Negro’s Greatest Enemy, 1923.’ Reading the American Past is a collection of the twentieth-century orator’s speeches and writings that mainly centers on a message of African-American leadership, pride, emancipation, and unemployment. The document, The Negro’s Greatest Enemy, was printed in up-to-date history, September 1923. This document was Marcus Garvey’s most all-embracing autobiographical account and the first one put on paper for the American public. Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican born Black nationalist and the head of the Pan-Africanism campaign, which pursued to unite and link individuals of African ancestry all over the universe. The document was written during Marcus Garvey confinement in the Tombs in New York City. He wrote it as he was waiting for the verdict of his plea for bail after being sentenced on a charge of mail swindle.

The document was written in an effort to meet two objectives. The first objective is that Garvey wanted to give a short-lived account of his background. The second objective is that he tried to provide answers the attacks of his critics. Therefore, the document denotes Marcus Garvey as he desired the individuals to view him during an important chapter of his career. I think that this document exists because the writer who is Garvey, wanted basically to tell the readers how his plans for the African Communities Leagues and Universal Negro Improvement Association came about. It is evident in the document where it commences by saying the place where he was born, his parent’s background, and more about his father’s brilliant intellect. The document, which is primarily a chapter of Marcus Garvey’s autobiography, an initiator of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, establishing a campaign in opposition to negroes who do not want to be negroes. It was a movement emphasizing a nation for the black man and attempted to capture the Universal Negro Improvement Association. In his writing, this is demonstrated when he says, “Becoming naturally restless for the opportunity of doing something [for] the advancement of my race, I was determined that the black man would not continue to be kicked about by all the other races and nations of the world” (Garvey, 160).

One thing that the document tells me about life at the time and place it was written is that there was an association between ideals of racial pride and purity that appealed to many African Americans. It is seen that after Garvey created his movement of Universal Negro Improvement Association, tens of thousands of individuals joined him, and many thousands of them sympathized more with his ideas. The document tells on the concept of racial pride and purity whereby Garvey elucidates why he supposed his program of separatism, ethnic pureness, and nationalism signified the best anticipation for African Americans’ future. The second thing that tells about life at the time and places it was written is that there were both frustrations and aspirations that were common among a lot of African Americans. As a result of the frustrations and aspirations, the Marcus Garvey movement was committed to financial self-sufficiency, the creation of an independent Black nation in Africa, and racial pride.

Among the three things that the author said in the document that I think is important is that his young and ambitious mind led him to great imagination flights. He proceeds by asserting that he saw before him another world of black men and not slaves, dogs, and peons, a country of strong men marking their move towards civilization and instigating a new light to dawn upon the human race. By this, he basically talks about having determination and perseverance. It is usually essential to be determined and to have perseverance in life when desiring to achieve a certain goal. His thinking demonstrates how determined he was together with his movement to make the African Americans’ lives better. It shows how the fighting spirit is important. The second thing that the author said that I think is important to the argument about the document is whereby he said, “The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities (Imperial) League was founded and organized five days after my arrival, with the program of uniting all the negro peoples of the world into one great body to establish a country and Government absolutely their own” (Garvey, 161). In this quote, his intentions are clear because he tells us what they are and how responsible he is for everything. The third thing about the document that is important is that he uses “I,” “my,” and “me” most of the times. He says that he is restless because he wants to advance his race. He takes accountability and shows how focused he is. He heartened his fellow Africans to work hard, show upright morals and a strong character, and not to have worries about politics as an implementation to advance their cause.

The document’s overall significance is that it aimed to give millions of Negroes a sense of destiny and dignity. The philosophy of black self-determination attempted to unify and connect people of African origin worldwide. It urges African Americans to be proud of their identity. The documents show the importance of the spirit of fight and the struggle for the future. From his writing, individuals could now see the essence of the Afrocentric worldview. One of the questions that the document fails to answer is that it does not give an account of the mail fraud that Garvey was convicted of. In this document, he does not talk more about the Black Star Line, which had now failed. He happened to have begun taking part in questionable business dealings to fund his various enterprise, which resulted in his influence declining.

Some of the important historical events that happened at the time of Marcus Garvey writing that impacted his perspective include World War I, European colonial rule, and the Red Summer of 1919. His philosophy and organization had a rich religious element that he combined with the economic and political features. Marcus Garvey was also exposed to the writings and ideas of a group of black colonial authors united in London around the Orient Review and the African Times. Nationalism in both Africa and Ireland, together with ideas such as race protection, certainly had an influence on Garvey. This document complements what we learnt in class. It reflects on what we learned in the course unit. It shows the influential leaders in African American individuals we learned. He thought that all black individuals were supposed to return to their rightful homeland Africa. Marcus Garvey was strongly involved in promoting the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which he founded in 1914. His appeal and influence were felt not only in America but in the Caribbean, Canada, and throughout Africa. The determined and courageous Marcus Garvey unified and led a movement against the tyranny of African Americans. Through his efforts to the inspiring of those of African ancestry, he changed the insight of social inequalities that classified people into races.

Work Cited

Garvey, Marcus. “The Negro’s greatest enemy.” Current History and Forum. Vol. 18. No. 6. CH publishing corporation, etc., 1923.