The Ideological Origins Of Black Nationalism

Exploring the origins of that rhetoric, Gordon reveals how the ideology of black nationalism functions in contemporary African American political discourse."--BOOK JACKET.

From the first slaves who rose up against their master in the early period of American history to the prominent modern figures such as Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammed, Eldridge Cleaver, Red, Black, and Green traces the origins, the struggles and the accomplishments of black nationalism. Its broad discussion of the ideology of black nationalism and of the conditions that gave rise to this ideology provides the foundation for a thorough account of the black nationalist movement in the peak years of its momentum, roughly the decade 1963 to 1973. The author deals both with specific milestones, such as Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association in the early twentieth century, and with the far-reaching implications of the movement for the black community and for the United States as a whole. He looks at the many facets of black nationalism - revolutionary nationalism, cultural nationalism, religious nationalism, and educational nationalism - analyses the relationship between this movement and liberation movements in general.

Classical Black Nationalism traces the evolution of black nationalist thought through several phases, from its "proto-nationalistic" phase in the late 1700s through a hiatus in the 1830s, through its flourishing in the 1850s, its eventual eclipse in the 1870s, and its resurgence in the Garvey movement of the 1920s. Moses incorporates a wide range of black nationalist perspectives, including African American capitalists Paul Cuffe and James Forten, Robert Alexander Young from his "Ethiopian Manifesto", and more well-known voices such as those of Marcus Garvey, W. E. B. Du Bois, and others.

This comprehensive analysis of the complex relationship of black political thought identifies which political ideologies are supported by blacks, then traces their historical roots and examines their effects on black public opinion.

"[This book] examine[s] how black nationalist women engaged in national and global politics from the early twentieth century to the 1960's"--Amazon.com.