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