Abdulrasheed Oseni Introduction: To what extent was the Back to Africa Movement influenced by the idea of PanAfricanism?

This investigation will focus on the impact of the Pan-African movement on influencing Marcus Garveys Back to Africa Movement. Before this can be done, other factors which may have led to the Back to Africa Movement must also be discussed. One such factor is that of Reconstruction which occurred before the Back to Africa Movement. The first part of this paper will discuss the effect that Reconstruction had on the Back to Africa Movement of the early nineteen hundreds. In order to do this, context on the age of Reconstruction must be understood. The impact of Reconstruction on African Americans, the causes of the Back to Africa movement and the mindset of those who lead the Back to Africa movement will be analyzed to determine their reasons for the movement. Also the effect of Reconstruction on African Americans will be evaluated to determine whether the treatment of African Americans during reconstruction can be seen to have led to the movement. This investigation will be determined whether the age of reconstruction was a leading cause of the Back to Africa movement of the 1920s. The two evaluated sources are The Republic of Liberia and the Universal Negro Improvement Association Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey by Marcus Garvey and Reconstruction and its Benefits by WEB Dubois. Garvey provides primary sources and critical lens focusing on details of the movement itself, while Dubois will provide information as to reconstructions impact on African Americans. The process of Reconstruction was complicated by the scars of war. Four years of fighting had blazed a broad path of destruction through the conquered South. In December

1863, President Lincoln began his 10 percent plan. He called it the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. His plan stated that only 10 percent of the population in a Confederate state needed to consent before that state could be reinstated back into the union. Lincoln hoped the plan would force Southerners to return to the Union. Reconstructions main focus was dealing with the millions of slaves freed as a result of the war. In March 1865, Congress formed the Freedmens bureau; an attempt to establish a government guardianship over the Negroes and insure their economic and civil rights. Its establishment was a herculean task both physically and socially, and it not only met the solid opposition of the white South, but even the North looked at the new thing, as socialistic and over-paternal. The Freedmens bureau was greatly useful in helping blacks to better incorporate themselves into American society because now their basic rights such as job security and social equality could be more protected. In June 1866, the Radical republicans convinced Congress to pass the 14th Amendment. The 14th amendment made former slaves citizens and the U.S. government responsible for them. While this aided African Americans, Reconstruction also had negative impacts. During reconstruction, the freed people would struggle to find jobs, build homes, gain an education, and secure their civil rights.