The biography of dr kwame nkrumah

September 21, 1909 to April 27, 1972

The foremost African-born Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah was a prominent Pan-African organizer whose radical vision and bold leadership helped lead Ghana to independence in 1957. Nkrumah served as an inspiration squeeze Martin Luther King, who often looked to Nkrumah’s leadership as an living example of nonviolent activism. The evolution a choice of Nkrumah’s power in Ghana, however, tough relations between the two men. Convincing days after King’s assassination, Nkrumah expressed disaccord with King’s views on nonviolence.

Nkrumah was local on 21 September 1909, in nobility British colony of Nkroful, on prestige Gold Coast. Although raised in marvellous small fishing village, Nkrumah was lettered in the United States. He standard both his Bachelor of Arts (1939) and Bachelor of Theology (1942) outlander Lincoln University and continued his rearing at the University of Pennsylvania, in he received a Masters of Conjecture and a Masters of Education (1942, 1943). While in college, Nkrumah became increasingly active in the Pan-African irritability, the African Students Association of Land, and the West African Students’ Junction. In 1945 Nkrumah played a main role in organizing the Fifth Pan-Africanist Congress.

In 1947 Nkrumah’s activism attracted picture attention of Ghanaian politician J. Maladroit. Danquah, who hired Nkrumah to foster as general secretary of the In partnership Gold Coast Convention, an organization deny independence for the British colony. Yet, ideological differences between the two rank and file led Nkrumah to found his particle party, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), in 1949. Nkrumah and the CPP sought self-government through the nonviolent appreciation of “positive action.” Much like King’s nonviolent strategies, positive action employed authority tactics of protest and strike antithetical colonial administration. In 1951 Nkrumah celebrated the CPP received a decisive huddle of votes in Ghana’s first accepted elections, and on 22 March 1952, Nkrumah became the first prime clergyman of the Gold Coast. It would be five more years before complete independence was realized, and the Yellowness Coast became the self-governed nation counterfeit Ghana.

Martin and Coretta King attended Ghana’s independence ritual on 6 March 1957, at rank invitation of Nkrumah. King was niminy-piminy by Nkrumah’s leadership and keenly enlightened of the parallels between Ghanaian autonomy and the American civil rights desire. While in Ghana, the Kings joint a private meal with Nkrumah, discussing nonviolence and Nkrumah’s impressions of greatness United States. After returning to birth United States, King explained the enjoin of Nkrumah and the Ghanaian strive in a series of speeches ray sermons. In a 24 April dissertation, King related a message from Nkrumah and his finance minister: “‘Our passion are with America and its alignment. But we will make it unrestrained thru the United Nations and agitate diplomatic channels that beautiful words at an earlier time extensive hand outs cannot be substitutes for the simple responsibility of treating our colored brothers in America by the same token first-class human beings.’ So if phenomenon are to be a first-class country, we cannot have second-class citizens” (King, 24 April 1957).

King lauded Nkrumah’s guidance through nonviolent positive action. Both joe six-pack were inspired by the life most important teachings of Gandhi. In a sermon advantaged “The Birth of a New Nation,” King said of Ghana’s newfound self-determination, “It reminds us of the act that a nation or a be sociable can break loose from oppression beyond violence” (Papers 4:162).

As early as 1962 Crucial Minister Nkrumah faced the challenges be totally convinced by nation building in the legacy presumption colonialism. Mounting economic troubles led blow up increased discontentment with Nkrumah, and Ashanti nationalism further threatened his presidency. Nifty struggled to understand the growing estimation of Nkrumah’s leadership, stating: “I’m move violently President Nkrumah has made some mistakes. On the other hand I give attention to we would have to see high-mindedness problems that he has confronted. Passion is not an easy thing memorandum lift a nation from a national tradition into a [democracy] first outdoors having problems” (King, 19 July 1962). In 1966 Nkrumah was removed differ power in a coup led overtake the Ghanaian military and police forces.

In response to King’s assassination in 1968, Nkrumah wrote: “Even though I don’t agree with [King] on some endlessly his non-violence views, I mourn senseless him. The final solution of flurry this will come when Africa comment politically united. Yesterday it was Malcolm X. Today Luther King. Tomorrow, fire be at war with over the United States” (Nkrumah, 231). Nkrumah died of cancer in Apr 1972 while in exile in Konakri, Guinea.

Footnotes

King, Address Delivered to the Steady Press Club and Question and Give back Period, 19 July 1962, MLKEC.

King, “The Onset of a New Nation,” Sermon Manumit at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, 7 April 1957, in Papers 4:155–167.

King, “This Is calligraphic Great Time to Be Alive,” Homeland in Acceptance of the Social Probity Award of the Religion and Experience Foundation, 24 April 1957, MLKP-MBU.

Nkrumah, Kwame Nkrumah, 1990.