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Classroom · Grades 6–12

Marcus Garvey

Garvey built the largest Black mass movement of his era by linking racial pride, economic enterprise, and Pan-African politics, and his ideas outlasted the collapse of his organizations.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 6–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 9 (Global Connections) and 2 (Time, Continuity, and Change); C3 D2.His.4.9-12, D2.His.14.6-8
Reading
Marcus Garvey (profile)

Big Idea

Garvey built the largest Black mass movement of his era by linking racial pride, economic enterprise, and Pan-African politics, and his ideas outlasted the collapse of his organizations.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Marcus Garvey, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. The UNIA grew rapidly amid the Great Migration, wartime race riots, and the disillusionment of returning Black soldiers. Why might those conditions have made Garvey’s message so appealing?
  2. The Black Star Line was badly managed and failed by 1922. Should a movement be judged by the success of its businesses or by the ideas and pride it inspired?
  3. W. E. B. Du Bois and A. Philip Randolph were among Garvey’s fiercest critics. What were their objections, and which do you find most persuasive?
  4. Garvey was pardoned posthumously in 2025, and historians note that federal agents had sought grounds to prosecute him since 1919. How should we evaluate a conviction pursued for political reasons?

Activity

Students listen to Garvey’s 1921 recording explaining the objects of the UNIA (about four minutes) and note the goals he names, the words he repeats, and the tone of his delivery. In pairs they compare those goals with the profile’s account of the Black Star Line, the Negro World, and the 1920 convention. The class then reads a passage from Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Exposition Address, which Garvey admired, and discusses how Garvey adopted Washington’s emphasis on enterprise while rejecting his accommodation to the racial order (30–40 minutes).

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Marcus Garvey.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/marcus-garvey/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Marcus Garvey. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/marcus-garvey/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Marcus Garvey.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/marcus-garvey/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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