COVER PAGE

NAME :
SURNAME :
GRADE : 12D
SUBJECT : HISTORY
FORM OF : RESEARCH
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC : CIVIL SOCIETY

PROTESTS
TERM : 2

SCHOOL :

EDUCATOR :
I agree that the Black Power Movement played focal role in injecting
self-pride, self-reliance, self-defence and self-confidence to all Africa
Americans. To elaborate this view, one is expected to scrutinize the
following factors i.e. the background of the Black Power Movement,
the leadership and structure of the Black Power Movement, its
approach, beliefs and slogans not overlooking its short- and long-term
gains, its struggles, its enemies as well as its success and its failures.

The term Black Power Movement refers revolutionary movement

that occurred in the 1960s and 1980s in United States of America. It
emphasized racial pride on African Americans, economic
empowerment of black people in USA, and the creation of political
and cultural institutions. It encouraged the African Americans to stand
united. The Black Power Movement called for African Americans to
promote their identity and self-defence. During this era, there was a
rise in the demand for black history courses, a greater embrace of
African culture, and a spread of raw artistic expression displaying the
realities of African Americans

The Civil Rights Movement achieved many great things, their

powerful protests created an immense amount of awareness for the
oppression of black people in America. Protests like the Montgomery
Bus Boycott, the sit-ins in 1960, the March on Lincoln Memorial, the
Birmingham Campaign in 1963, Freedom summer of 1964, and the
Selma-Montgomery marches, attained: the passing of the Civil Rights
Act by the American Congress in 1964. This outlawed discrimination
based on racial, ethnic, national, religious and gender identity, and the
passing of the Voting Rights Act by the American Congress in 1965.
In addition to these acts being passed black people gained a new self-
confidence as the result of the CRM. Black people also gained a new
sympathy for the things that they had lost during the CRM from their
fellow white citizens of America.
Despite the achievements of the Civil Right Movement by 1965 the
general economic conditions of African Americans were poor. They
lived in ghettos which were crowded and diseases would often arise
due to the lack of facilities, the ghettos were often in bad conditions

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and most of the time unkempt. Apart from the living conditions, most
of these people were unemployed or paid very low wages as job
opportunities were lacking. This resulted in poverty and crime and to
many the achievements of the CRM were in vain, they had lost all
hope.

Although they had achieved civil rights, they were still subject to
copious amounts of discrimination often racial abuse and violent
attacks with this the police provided little protection and sometimes
were guilty of these brutal attacks.

The African Americans had no solution to this problem as they were

taught by previous leaders like Martin Luther King that passive

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resistance and civil disobedience were commendable ways of
disapproving authority but many felt that this ideology was
inadequate and so they turned to more forceful ways of resistance.
Black power promoted black interests and this appealed to many
frustrated African Americans. Black power grew out of black
dissatisfaction of the CRM. Although the achievements of the CRM
were praiseworthy it was not good enough.

In October 1966 the Black Panther Party for self-defence was founded
in Oakland, California by Huey Newton and Bobby Searle while
working at a neighbourhood poverty centre. These two young
community activists grew tired of having their complaints about
police brutality ignored. In other words, the initial aim of Black
Panther Party was the protection of blacks from police brutality. It
took advantage of the old California law that allowed carrying of
loaded firearms in public as long as displayed were not pointed at
anyone.

The Black Panther was not only formed for self-defence of black
people in the black urban ghettos but also engaged in the other
community programmes such free breakfast programmes. This is
testifying on the self-reliance that was being promoted by Black
Power Movement.

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The role of Malcolm X and that of Stokely Carmichael cannot be
omitted in the Black Power Movement.
Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister and a human
rights activist. Malcom X joined the Nation of Islam, which believed
that blacks were superior to whites. They also believed in black self-
reliance and that African Americans should return to where they
originated from, Africa, as they believed that they would never be
abundantly accepted in American society. Malcolm X became an
influential black leader in the early 1960s. At the time Martin Luther
King was preaching non-violence and integration, Malcolm X was
promoting self-defence and Black Nationalism. He was very hostile to
the methods of the Civil Right Movement. While for many the March
on Washington had been a great moment for unity and hopefulness,
Malcolm X view it with distaste
It is overly simplistic to suggest that Malcolm X was in favour of
violence. He did not try to build an army to fight white people. He did
not carry any weapon. But in his words made it quite clear that he did
not support the Civil Right Movement’s tactic of non-violence.
Martin Luther King famously criticized the idea of retaliating when
attacked saying “the old law of an eye for an eye ‘leaves everyone
blind”.

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 Malcolm X on the other side
believed that people should be “peaceful, courteous, obey the law,
respect everyone; but if someone puts a hand on you, send his straight
to the cemetery”
Although he was a firm believer of the promotion of black interests,
black self-esteem, black self-pride and black self-defence against
racial oppression his views began to change after his pilgrimage to
mecca. He discovered that Muslims preach equality of the races. After
returning to America he remained convinced that racism ruined the
spirit of America and that only black people could free themselves
For many young black American this was a powerful message.
Malcolm X stressed the need for black people to regain their self-
respect and take pride in their history.

Stokely Carmichael began his political career as one of the leaders of

the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC
had begun as non-violent, non-racial student organisation, responsible
for initiating the sit-ins of the early 1960s and Freedom Summer. In
May 1966 Carmichael became the chairman of SNCC. The following
month he was arrest while taking part in the civil right march. He
moved the organisation in a Black Power direction and had whites
excluded from in 1967. Carmichael believed that whites generally,
including those from the North were the heart of a problem. He
believed that non-violence was a strategy rather than a principle. In

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other words, it could be abandoned if it did not work, and in his
opinion, it was not working.

In 1967 Carmichael was expelled from the SNCC partly for failure to
consult sufficiently with members of the organisation before making
policy pronouncements. After leaving the SNCC he joined the Black
Panthers and became its ‘Honorary Prime Minister’. When Martin
was assassinated 1968, he said ‘Black people know they have to get
guns’

The Black Power Movement was interpreted in various ways and had
many beliefs but ultimately a common objective, Black Nationalism.
Black power promoted black interests, self-sufficient black economy,
Black self-pride and self-esteem.

They believed that black people and white people should not be
integrated therefore they fostered a distinctive black culture.

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These ideas caused friction with leaders of the Civil Rights
Movement as the CRM worked towards social equality whereas Black
Power believed in black separation. Not all parties were in favour of
Black Nationalism, The Black Panther party believed in Self-defence
against racial oppression. They also believed that the structure of
power in America was imbalanced and that majority of the people in
power in America were white thus making it unfair, they believed that
people of colour were economically exploited and that it needed to be
rectified.

Black power believed in black control of their communities, they

didn’t believe in non-violent protests as they believed that direct
action was more effective. Supporters of the Black Power Movement
began adopting distinctive ways of dressing, especially women who
then decided that their wardrobe would be more uniformed inspired
than European. They coined a term “Black is Beautiful” and this
became their mantra, men and women were asked to stop
straightening their hair and bleaching their skin, as in American
culture it was believed that certain black characteristics were
undesirable, thus men and women donned an afro hairstyle to display
their new-found confidence in being black.

The Black Panthers were involved in numerous violent encounters

with police. In 1967, founder Huey Newton allegedly killed Oakland
police officer John Frey. Newton was convicted of voluntary
manslaughter in 1968 and was sentenced to two to 15 years in prison.
An appellate court decision later reversed the conviction.
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 Eldridge Cleaver, editor of the Black Panther’s newspaper, and 17-
year old Black Panther member and treasurer Bobby Hutton, were
involved in a shootout with police in 1968 that left Hutton dead and
two police officers wounded. The Black Power Movement approach
was violent.

Great racial pride and self-confidence among black people. Moves to

develop a specifically black political agenda. In 1972, a National
Black Political Convention was held in Gary, Indiana where a formal
National Black Political Agenda was set up to address national issue
of concern to African-Americans. At a local black political action
groups and grassroots association were set up to campaign around
specific issues. Black voters were mobilised to black candidates for
office. Black Studies programmes were introduced at universities and
colleges. In very general term, a debate was sparked over ‘the nature
of American society and the place of African-Americans in it’ An
interesting political result of the rise of Black Power was what has
been called a ‘positive radical flank effect’. What this means is that
because Black Power supporters were pressing for more radical
change those pursuing more moderate change, like Civil Right
Movement activists, became more acceptable to American
mainstream.

Increased black self-confidence and self-esteem could also be

classified as long-term gain. The sense of greater solidarity among
African-Americans. A greater sense of ethnic identity also developed
over time. This included a sense of unique African-American culture
in music (e.g. soul), fashion, hairstyles (e.g. the Afro), literate, art and
even on food. ‘Black is beautiful’ slogan emphasised the natural
beauty of African-Americans. The Black Power Movement
discouraged the use of aids to make black Americans look ‘whiter’,
such as hair-straighteners and skin lighteners. Other social justice
groups sprang from the example of Black Power for example black
feminist, environmental movements, affirmative action, and gay and
lesbian rights’ movement. One another positive development, is the

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growth of multi-culturalism and greater tolerance of cultural
differences in the US, as a result of the growing acceptance of
distinctive black culture.

In 1969, the FBI declared the Black Panthers a communist

organization and an enemy of the United States government. The first
FBI’s first director, J Edgar Hoover, in 1968 called the Black
Panthers, “One of the greatest threats to the nation’s internal
security.” The FBI worked to weaken the Panthers by exploited
existing rivalries between black nationalist groups. They also worked
to undermine and dismantle the Free Breakfast for Children Program
and other community social programs instituted by the Black
Panthers. In 1968, Chicago police gunned down and killed Black
Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, who were
asleep in their apartment. About a hundred bullets were fired in what
police described as a fierce gun battle with members of the Black
Panther Party. However, ballistics experts later determined that only
one of those bullets came from the Panthers’ side. Although the FBI
was not responsible for leading the raid, a federal grand jury later
indicated that the bureau played a significant role in the events
leading up to the raid.

FBI director, J Edgar Hoover, emphasized time and again in different

ways that “one of our primary aims in counterintelligence, as it
concerns the Black Panther Party, is to keep this group isolated from
the moderate black and white community which may support it”.
Federal agents sought 'to create factionalism’ among Party leaders and
between the Panthers and other black political organizations. FBI
operatives forged documents and paid provocateurs [people who were
paid to create instability within the Black Panther Party to promote
violent conflicts between Black Panther leaders as well as between
the Party and other black nationalist organizations, and congratulated
themselves when these conflicts yielded the killing of members of the
Panthers. And COINTELPRO sought to lead the Party into
unsupportable action, 'creating opposition to the BPP on the part of

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the majority of the residents of the ghetto areas'. For example, on the
government payroll

It is suggested that Black Power made positive, lasting contributions

to the African American lifestyle. It created greater racial pride
amongst the black people in America. Black people became more
accepting of their American heritage, they noted that they would be
stronger as country than as segregated races. African Americans were
now taken care of, ghettos decreased as well as crime and poverty.
Black voters were endowed to support their black candidates. The
Black Power Movement also formed a path; black students were now
given the opportunity to study at university without any racial
oppression or discrimination. Although we like to believe that racial
discrimination no longer existed in America, it did and it still does.
The Black Power Movement also created a strong black culture for
African Americans, this was something that they could relate to, and
this culture consisted of soulful music, eccentric fashion and heartfelt
literature. The BPM also formed a platform for cultural tolerance in
America, as different cultures were now accepted amongst people of
the country
What could be considered as failures of Black Power Movement is the
factionalism that occurs among Black Power leader, as well as the
alienation of the society and an affiliation with criminal activity.
To conclude, one could state it clearly that indeed the Black Power
Movement played a central role in injecting self-pride, self-
confidence, self-reliance and self-defence among African-American
because the slogan of ‘Black is beautiful’ promoted self-pride to the
African-American, the community free breakfast programmes which
shows self-reliance, the solidarity among African-American as well as
the recognition of the African heritage amid African- Americans
testifies on this view.

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Bibliography
• Angier, KL; Hobbs, JT; Horner, EA; Marashchin, JL; Mhlaba, A;
Mowatt, RL, 2013. The Black Power Movement. In: S. Chupty, ed. Viva
History Leaner's Book Grade 12. Cape Town(Western Cape): Vivlia, pp.
183-197.
• Fenandez, L; Wills, L; McMahon, P; Pienaar, S; Seleti, Y; Jacobs, M,
2013. Black Power Movement. In: I. Delvare & J. Versfeld, eds. Focus
Grade 12 History Leaner's textbook. Cape Town(Western Cape):
Maskew Miller Longman, pp. 198-211.
• Freeman , Willo;, 2013. Bing Corporation. [Online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_is_beautiful
[Accessed 01 April 2019].
• Wales, Johnathan, 2010. google. [Online]
Available at:
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/fhamptonspeech.html
[Accessed 27 March 2019].
• Willis, V., 2004. Google. [Online]
Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-
movement/black-panthers
[Accessed 27 March 2019].

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