Marcus Garvey once said: “Emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves cannot free our minds. » In this book, readers have the opportunity to learn more about one of the greatest civil rights activists, Marcus Garvey. It can be said that he was the spark that lit the fuse of racial equality in the United States. The Marcus Garvey book guides readers through Marcus Garvey's early life as well as some of his achievements and failures during his life and his influence on black people across the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayMarcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. was born on August 17, 1887 in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica. He was the youngest child of Marcus Sr. and Jane Richards. Marcus Sr. taught his son to be strong and courageous and to never succumb to higher forces if he believed he was right. It is this mentality that would later make Marcus an iconic revolutionary. Young Marcus didn't go to school for very long. Garvey's family was very poor, so to help support them, he became a printer's apprentice at the age of 14. He then traveled to Kingston, Jamaica, where he worked for several years as a printer for a local newspaper. Marcus will develop key skills that will launch him on the path to greatness. After moving to Kingston, Gravy became interested in political and social issues and also participated in an unsuccessful union strike. Garvey appreciated the political side of life and the ability to effect change. As a self-taught young man, Marcus Gravey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Garvey's work inspired many people across Central America. He encouraged black people to establish their own country and "their own absolute government." He was particularly interested in African Americans. He had heard stories about how African Americans were treated in the United States and he knew that had to change, but because of this, he knew he was not yet ready to take on America. He believed his movement was not yet strong enough to take on the brutality of the U.S. government. In 1912, for unknown reasons, he decided to return to Jamaica and left a year later to settle in England. While in England, Garvey worked with Duse Mohamed Alie in London. Ali had an influential pan-African journal, The African Times and Orient Review. During his time in England, Garvey also traveled to many European countries while spreading his knowledge of the workings of European systems of governments. He believed that most European government systems only worked for Europeans. He encouraged blacks to either become part of the government or return home to Africa. After working in various locations over the years, Garvey felt it was time to expand 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. He arrived at the beginning of the new Negro era. Garvey considered it the ideal time to be in the United States. He thought this was the best time to really start change in America. The movement had no real leader at the time and Garvey was very confident in his ability to lead it. Garvey settled in New York and started a chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which further encouraged the fight for equality amongAfrican Americans. In August 1920, the UNIA held its first international convention at Madison Square Garden in New York. In front of a crowd of 25,000 people from around the world, Marcus Garvey said he was proud of 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 black race in America. Garvey believed that Du Bois was an agent of the white elite. That didn't stop Garvey from knowing that not everyone would agree with his beliefs, but he continued to educate the African-American people. With the help of many successful African-Americans, Garvey did. launched the "Black Star Line" in 1919. "The Black Star Line was a shipping line for black trade and transportation. Garvey named its first ship Yarmouth. The ship carried black passengers and goods between America, the Caribbean and Africa It also served as a simple black endeavor Garvey wanted to make sure that black people, especially African Americans, knew that they had other options and that they did not have to. to stay in their current nation back in Africa or to introduce them to a better place, Garvey also created the Negros Factories Association, a series of companies that would produce marketable products in all major industrial centers in the Western Hemisphere and. from Africa. He also wanted to help more black businessmen in these countries by transporting goods for them and encouraging black people to buy from other black people around the world. This would help strengthen black people and keep money within black communities. Many ships were sabotaged by the Bureau of Investigation under the leadership of J Edgar Hoover. The Yarmouth's first mission was to transport a shipment of whiskey out of the United States to Cuba before the start of Prohibition. The "Yarmouth" remained stuck at the Havana docks and lost money for weeks. Ships began to mysteriously run out of goods 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 gave their entire savings to support him. The company's losses totaled $1.25 million, and Garvey could not afford to purchase more ships. In 1922, Marcus Garvey and three other UNIA officials were charged with mail fraud involving the Black Star Line. Trial records indicate that several injustices occurred during the prosecution of the case. The shipping company's books contained numerous 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 the time he spent in prison, he had lost some of his influence in the world. Garvey felt he had failed black people everywhere, but he did not regret anything he had done. He felt that even if he lost all support, his teachings would remain in the hearts of many people. 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 reinterred him at a shrine in the Park.”