The independence movements of African peoples in the late 1950s and 1960s brought enormous political changes to the continent. The African people were tired of being enslaved by the European nations and the European nations were losing control over the protesting Africans. Revolts occurred more frequently throughout the African colonies due to emerging leaders uniting various groups and colonies. From 1957 to 1964, 26 colonies gained independence thanks to these uprisings. However, simply declaring independence from a colonizer does not sever the cultural ties between the two. The dependence of colonized peoples on the homeland is still very evident within independent nations. Although independence brought great joy to the people, problems arose on the political, financial and social levels. Probably the greatest proponent of Pan-Africanism during that period was Kwame Nkrumah. His ability to unite the people of the Gold Coast influenced the Gold Coast to declare independence from Great Britain in 1957, forming the country of Ghana. Ghana's independence had a huge impact on other colonized groups on the continent. Nkrumah sailed to the United States in the 1930s to study and felt inspired by African American leaders who were against opposition in the states. He returned to the Gold Coast and formed the Convention People's Party. The political party was formed to unite the people of the Gold Coast who no longer wanted to be ruled by Britain. Nkrumah's charismatic nature helped him gain followers from cocoa farmers to women interested in gaining suffrage. During his campaign he appealed to all walks of life and eventually became Ghana's first leader in 1957. Under his leadership, Ghana became... in the center of the paper... shape from the rule of Belgium. He believed that a ruler who “takes more interest in the progress of native society and has no intention of grinding the axe” would come under scrutiny from some but would ultimately lead to a better nation. African leaders who brought independence to their respective countries faced many adversities when they declared independence from their colonial lands. To become fully independent from colonial rulers, newly formed countries had to adopt the modern national practices of capitalism and socialism. It is therefore arguable that since such Western practices and ideologies had been accepted, African nations would never have been truly independent. Although this was the basis for ruling the country, Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, Leopold and Lumumba all fought to promote the traditions of the African people by bringing the continent into the modern world..