KWAME NKRUMAH AND THE INDEPENDENCE OF GHANA, 1957 term paper

Kwame Nkrumah was the first black African to lead a country to independence in the twentieth century. Born in the British colony of the Gold Coast, Nkrumah (1909–1972) received his early education in Catholic schools. He later graduated from Lincoln University and did additional work at the University of Pennsylvania. Although Nkrumah studied Karl Marx, he was more impressed with the African American writer Marcus Garvey, especially Garvey’s ideas on Black Power. He also developed friendships with the African American leader W.E.B. Du Bois and the brilliant Caribbean writer C.L.R. James. In 1945 he moved to Britain and attended the London School of Economics, acquiring a wide reputation for his Pan-African ideas on African unity.

In 1947 Nkrumah returned home and became secretary-general of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). His political activities landed him in jail for a year. In 1949 he founded the Convention People’s Party (CPP). Like Gandhi and Congress in India, the CPP refused to cooperate with the British and adopted a “positive action” policy of strikes and civil disobedience. In 1951 Nkrumah was elected to the legislative assembly, and in 1952 became prime minister. He demanded complete independence. In March 1957 Ghana became the first British colony to win independence. Nkrumah quickly consolidated his power. In 1958 he announced the Preventive Detention Act, ensuring arrest for anyone declared a security risk. Starting in 1959 he began to remove his opponents from the national assembly. In 1960 he was elected president and in 1962 named president for life. Firmly in control of Ghana, Nkrumah now sought to realize his dream of leading all of Africa. This idea found its fullest expression in his “Statement of African Unity,” which proposed that the entire continent of Africa should form one nation, much like the United States, and that Nkrumah should be its leader. His ideas on African unity received a great deal of support from other African states. Despite this, Nkrumah lost control of Ghana. On 24 February 1966, while he was out of the country, disaffected army officers seized power and refused to permit Nkrumah to return. He spent the last six years of his life in exile, writing and dreaming of a return to power. Nkrumah’s legacy is mixed. He was an inspirational and effective leader against British colonial rule. Many African leaders imitated his style of leadership and his policy of nonalignment in the Cold War. In power, however, he was authoritative and egotistical, and did not find a way to placate his political opponents. His dream of African unity underscored the great economic and political potential of Africa, but his proposal that the United States be the model failed to take into account the immense variety of African cultural and political traditions.
Suggestions for Term Papers
1. Investigate Nkrumah’s “African American connection.” To what extent did the ideas of Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. Du Bois, or C.L.R. James (see Suggested Sources) influence his thinking?
2. After reading Nkrumah’s autobiography (see Suggested Sources) write a paper explaining his political philosophy. 3. Read Nkrumah’s I Speak of Freedom (see Suggested Sources) and write a paper on his vision for Africa.
4. Compare and contrast Nkrumah’s methods with those of Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa in the 1950s and 1960s.
5. In a paper focused on the events leading to the coup of 1966, explain why Nkrumah was overthrown.
6. How do Ghanaians view Nkrumah today? Analyze his legacy in contemporary Ghana.

Research Suggestions

In addition to the boldfaced items, look under the entries for “Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Founding of the Republic of Turkey, 1923” (#15), “Gandhi’s Salt March, 1930” (#20), “Apartheid in South Africa from the 1950s to the 1970s” (#58), and “Civil War in Nigeria (Biafra), 1967–1970” (#67). Search under Organization of African Unity.

SUGGESTED SOURCES

Primary Sources

Nkrumah, Kwame. Africa Must Unite. New York: International Publishers, 1970. The fullest statement of his vision for Africa.

———. Consciencism: Philosophy and Ideology for De-colonization. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1970. Short but profound statement of his political philosophy.

———. Dark Days in Ghana. New York: International Publishers, 1968. An assessment of the 1966 coup and how it affected Ghana.

———. Ghana: The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah. New York: International Publishers, 1971. The starting point for an understanding of his achievements.

———. I Speak of Freedom: A Statement of African Ideology. New York: Praeger, 1962. A very readable introduction to his thought and his views of Africa in the world. The preface contains his “Statement of African Unity.”

———. Selected Speeches: Kwame Nkrumah. 5 vols. Compiled by Samuel Obeng. Accra, Ghana: Afram Publications, 1997. A five-volume set of speeches expressing Nkrumah’s political and social vision.
Secondary Sources

Amissah, G. McLean. Picture Story of Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana. Cape Coast: Germain Publications, 1993. Captures the dramatic appeal of Nkrumah and his home.

Birmingham, David. Kwame Nkrumah: The Father of African Nationalism. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1998. A clearly written analysis of his importance for contemporary Africa.

Davidson, Basil. Black Star: A View of the Life and Times of Kwame Nkrumah. New York: Praeger, 1973. A short, balanced biography.

James, C.L.R. Nkrumah and the Ghana Revolution. London: Allison and Busby, 1977. A readable, important study by a Caribbean writer who knew Nkrumah.

Owusu-Ansah, David, and Daniel Miles McFarland. Historical Dictionary of Ghana. 2nd ed. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1995. A most helpful starting point for understanding Ghana and Nkrumah.

Shillington, Kevin. Ghana and the Rawlings Factor. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992. Examines the long-term implications of the military’s involvement in Ghanaian politics.