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A Jamaican-born political activist, Marcus Garvey rose to prominence in the United States during the 1920s as a charismatic leader of the first major American Black nationalist movement. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which at its peak had hundreds of branches and millions of members. Garvey's philosophy was centered on Black pride, economic self-sufficiency, and the unity of the African diaspora. He argued against social integration, believing that Black people could only achieve true autonomy and self-emancipation by establishing their own independent nation in Africa. This "back to Africa" movement was a core tenet of his ideology.
To spread his message, Garvey established the *Negro World* newspaper in 1918. The weekly publication featured his front-page editorials and news of interest to Black people worldwide, eventually reaching a circulation of up to 200,000. The newspaper was instrumental in the growth of the UNIA and the spread of his ideas. In an effort to build a Black-owned economy, he also started various businesses, including the Black Star Line shipping company, which was intended to facilitate trade and transport people to Africa.
Despite his immense popularity, Garvey's ventures faced financial difficulties, and he attracted the attention of the U.S. government. In 1923, he was convicted of mail fraud in connection with the sale of stock for the Black Star Line. He began serving a five-year prison sentence in 1925. His sentence was later commuted, and he was deported to Jamaica in 1927. Although his movement lost momentum, Garvey's ideas left a lasting legacy, influencing later civil rights and Black Power movements.
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