The History and Organizational Methods of the Marcus Garvey Movement
This research will answer the question, what specific factors made the Marcus Garvey movement successful, and what factors led to its eventual downfall? Some of the areas I will analyze include membership, funding, community support, and overall appeal. This paper will also explain, in detail, exactly what the different wings of the Universal Negro Improvement Association were created to do, and how they were structured. The U.N.I.A was comprised of various, semi-autonomous divisions such as the Black Cross Nurses, the African Legions, the Negro Factories Corporation, and the Black Star Line steamship company. Each division had duties and goals, and this research will give a glimpse into how each was organized and functioned. In order to determine this, I will use primary sources mainly obtained through Robert Hill's Garvey Papers. This source provides actual U.N.I.A documents, and materials. I will also use secondary sources that provide analysis and opinion on the Marcus Garvey movement and the U.N.I.A. I will also be referring to the Negro World, the U.N.I.A's weekly newspaper as a primary source. This periodical was the U.N.I.A's main organ of information, and persuasion, and it provides an excellent view into this time period. Through analysis of these materials, this research will uncover some of the aspects of the U.N.I.A that made it successful, such as its newspaper, its disciplined organization and its weekly meetings. This information will then be put in a context of today's African-American social movements and organizations, in order to strengthen and improve them.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Psychology
Research Advisor:
Sundiata Cha-Jua
Department of Research Advisor:
History
Year of Publication:
2003