Marcus Garvey breaking down African Citizenship

[Pragmatic]

The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers pg. 28

..."I am not endeavoring to make negroes believe that there is no other country besides America. I want Negroes first to realize that every Negro is an African citizen. Before we were Americans or West Indians we were Africa citizens.

Negroes were never born originally to America or the West Indies. Negroes were never born originally to America or the W. I. Negroes were originally born to Africa, isn’t it so?

Where did your forefathers come from?

Georgia? No, they came from Sierra Leone, West Africa, or the came from the …, West Africa, They were first African citizens before they were emancipated by Abraham Lincoln, who made Afro Americans and by Victoria, who made Afro West Indians.

Now if a Frenchman leaves France-say he has left France 50 years ago and came to America and never asked or applied for naturalization papers. If he lived here for 50 years, what would he be? He would be a Frenchman. He would never be an American citizen until he went through the process of action and applied for naturalization. He has first of all, according to the law of the country, to apply for naturalization papers before he can become a naturalized American citizen. If he lived for a hundred years and never applied for naturalization papers he would always be a Frenchman.

Now, sirs, can you remember the time when your forefathers applied for naturalization papers in this country? Your grandfathers never got any naturalization papers. They were gotten from Africa against their will.

They were citizens of Africa.

Brought them here as slaves and they served as slaves for 250 years and never applied for naturalization papers.

Abraham Lincoln set you free, but no law states that emancipation makes you naturalized, and we never went through naturalization, hence we are still and first of all African citizens.

And that is why in the convention of August, of last month, we declared that every Negro in every part of the world is an African citizen. And they elected me Provisional President of Africa. It was my duty to find protection for every other good citizen, and that is why I am here.

Now, as Provisional President I tell you- we must have an African Army second to none. We must have an African Navy second to none. We must have the latest battleships, the latest cruisers, the latest submarines, the latest airships, so that you, an African citizen, whether you be in France, England, or America, if they should lynch and burn you the Ambassador of the African Republic in Africa will send home the news to Africa and we will send our battleships and navy (the rest inaudible by reason of uproarious applause)."

Peace be upon you


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