On
This Day In TCXPI History
Kwame
Nkrumah, Prime Minister and the First President of Ghana, was born in Nkroful,
Gold Coast (now Ghana) on September 21, 1909.
In
1935, Kwame Nkrumah came to the United States to further his education, earning
his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1939 and his Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree
in 1942 from Lincoln University and his Master of Science degree in 1942 and
his Masters of Arts degree in philosophy in 1943 from the University of
Pennsylvania.
In
1947, Kwame Nkrumah returned to the Gold Coast and became the leader of the
United Gold Coast Convention which was working on independence from the
British.
In
1950, the colonial administration arrested and sentenced Kwame Nkrumah to three
years in jail for his political activities. As the result of international
protests and internal resistance, he was released from jail in 1951 and elected
Prime Minister of the Gold Coast in 1952.
On
March 6, 1957, Nkrumah declared Ghana independent and in 1960 he was elected
president.
In
February, 1966, Nkrumah’s government was overthrown in a military coup which
was backed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency and he went into
exile in Guinea.
Kwame
Nkrumah died April 27, 1972.
Kwame
Nkrumah is best remembered for his strong commitment to and promotion of
Pan-Africanism and his significant influence in the founding of the
Organization of African Unity. In 2000, he was voted Arica’s Man of the
Millennium by listeners of the BBC World Service. He was a prolific author and
published his autobiography, “Ghana: The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah,” in
1957. His other works include “Africa Must Unite” (1963), “Dark Days in Ghana”
(1968), and “Revolutionary Path,” published posthumously in 1973.
Sources:
http://thewright.org/explore/blog/entry/today-in-black-history-9212012
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=177
