The Black Panther Party And The Civil Rights Movement

By 1966, 32% of African-Americans were living below the poverty line, and almost 2/3 of people living in poor urban areas were Black. The Black Panther Party was a socialist and Black nationalist organization that was founded 51 years ago to address these issues among others. The organization, which had a far-left political position, lasted for merely 16 years and its influence continues to impact the world up till this day. It was the largest Black revolutionary organization to ever exist. Founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, the party began in October 1966 in Oakland, California. The BPP’s original purpose was to protect fellow citizens against police brutality in African-American neighborhoods. Marked by social service programs,†¦show more content†¦Newton was a political activist who earned a Ph.D. in social philosophy. The duo met at Meritt Junior College in West Oakland, California and both were part of the Soul Students Advisory Committee. Ultimately, their experiences and stances, along with the ideology of Malcolm X, influenced the Black Panther Party platform. In October of 1966, Seale and Newton sat down and wrote their first program for the party. The 10 Point Program, titled â€Å"What We Want, What We Believe,† demands freedom, full employment, guaranteed income, justice of racial robbery, decent living, better education, black men to be exempt from military service, end of police brutality, and the release of black men in jail due to unfair or lack of trials. The 10th point sets it demands out clearly by stating â€Å" We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace.† In a quote from Huey P. Newton from November 1970, Newton describes the shift from a nationhood stance to a revolutionary stance in the beginning of the party. â€Å"In 1966 we called ourselves a Black Nationalist Party because we thought nationhood was the answer,† says Newton, â€Å"†¦shortly after we decided tha t what was really needed was revolutionary nationalism, that is, nationalism plus socialism.† According to the Socialist Alternative, the BPP grew to 5,000 party workers at its peak in the late 1960s, and organized 45 branches across the country. The party tookShow MoreRelatedThe Black Panther Party And The Civil Rights Movement1910 Words   |  8 PagesCreated as an armed force protecting the black community in Oakland, California, the Black Panther Party (BPP) played a short but important part in the civil rights movement. They openly believed in carrying weapons and taking control of their own neighborhoods to aid their communities and resist police brutality. The organization led a revolution that spread across the nation lead by its two notorious leaders, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. In June 5, 1966, James Meredith was shot and ambushed asRead MoreThe Black Panther Party And The Civil Rights Movement1801 Words   |  8 PagesThe Black Panther Party was a black nationalist organization who worked to teach minorities of the communities in the United States forceful and combative self defense mechanisms against the government. They set out to establish revolutionary socialism by not only organizing but also protesting against savage physical violence targeted towards Black people. 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In finding the Black Panther Party, Newton and Seale based the ideas and visions on the works of Malcolm X, a prominent figure in the Civil Rights movement, who had a â€Å"by any means necessary attitude†. â€Å"Malcolm had represented both a militant revolutionary, with the dignity and self-respect to stand up and fight to win equalit y for all oppressed minorities. Once they created the group Newton and Seale organized a missionRead More The Black Panther Party Essay813 Words   |  4 Pages The Black Panthers aren’t talked about much. The Panthers had made a huge difference in the civil rights movement. They were not just a Black KKK. They helped revolutionize the thought of African Americans in the U.S. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Black Panther had a huge background of history, goals, and beliefs. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, Ca 1966, founded the Panthers. 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Each method hadRead MoreThe Black Panther Party By James Mcbride Vibrantly1313 Words   |  6 Pagesgroup of a bunch of blacks would turn out to be the most influential black rights movement? A group so controversial that there are many perspectives of how the general public views them. The Black Panther Party strikes up an immense amount of controversy despite their inactivity of almost 35 years. From the law enforcement’s perspective, The Black Panther Party were viewed as radical criminals who randomly murdered innocent police officers. Though from the standpoint of many blacks of the time, they The Black Panther Party And The Civil Rights Movement The Black Panther Party was a black nationalist organization who worked to teach minorities of the communities in the United States forceful and combative self defense mechanisms against the government. They set out to establish revolutionary socialism by not only organizing but also protesting against savage physical violence targeted towards Black people. Through different style of leadership, group roles, conflicts and outcomes, the Black Panther Party set out to revolutionize and forever change the face of the civil rights movement. Brief history of the group Originally known as the Black Panther for Self Defense, the Black Panther Party was a socialist organization formed in California. They were active in mainly the United States for approximately twenty years during the late nineteen sixties to the later nineteen eighties. They also had a chapter in Algeria for three years, but this was their only international chapter. In the beginning, the parties main objective was to challenge the brutality by the police geared at african americans because they believed that the non-violent campaign that Martin Luther King, Jr. was unsuccessful and failing to get the job done( Seale, 3). They formed because they believed that the traditional way of protesting would not have any change or affect on their lifestyles in a soon enough time and they would do a better job of getting what they wanted. The used armed citizens’ patrols to monitor the behavior of the police officers.Show MoreRelatedThe Black Panther Party And The Civil Rights Movement1732 Words   |  7 Pagesof people living in poor urban areas were Black. The Black Panther Party was a socialist and Black nationalist organization that was founded 51 years ago to address these issues among others. The organization, which had a far-left political position, lasted for merely 16 years and its influence continues to impact the world up till this day. It was the largest Black revolutionary organization to ever exist. Founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, the party began in October 1966 in Oakland, CaliforniaRead MoreThe Black Panther Party And The Civil Rights Movement1910 Words   |  8 PagesCreated as an armed force protecting the black community in Oakland, California, the Black Panther Party (BPP) played a short but important part in the civil rights movement. They openly believed in carrying weapons and taking control of their own neighborhoods to aid their communities and resist police brutality. The organization led a revolution that spread across the nation lead by its two notorious leaders, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. In June 5, 1966, James Meredith was shot and ambushed asRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement vs. The Black Liberation Movement Essay1103 Words   |  5 Pages On The Duty of Civil Disobedience, written by Henry David Thoreau, explains that civil disobedience is the act of standing for your beliefs even though they are against the law. Thoreau goes on to say that the government (because it is ruled by the majority) is not always right for everyone especially the individual and the minority. Over the course of American history, there have been many different groups formed for the purpose of civil disobedience. The two that I am going to focus onRead MoreThe Black Panther Party For Self Defense1652 Words   |  7 PagesHuey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panthers Party for self-defense. In finding the Black Panther Party, Newton and Seale based the ideas and visions on the works of Malcolm X, a prominent figure in the Civil Rights movement, who had a â€Å"by any means necessary attitude†. â€Å"Malcolm had represented both a militant revolutionary, with the dignity and self-respect to stand up and fight to win equalit y for all oppressed minorities. Once they created the group Newton and Seale organized a missionRead More The Black Panther Party Essay813 Words   |  4 Pages The Black Panthers aren’t talked about much. The Panthers had made a huge difference in the civil rights movement. They were not just a Black KKK. They helped revolutionize the thought of African Americans in the U.S. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Black Panther had a huge background of history, goals, and beliefs. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, Ca 1966, founded the Panthers. They were originally as an African American self defense force and were highly influenced by Malcolm X’s ideasRead MoreThe Movement that Revolutionized the Civil Rights: Black Panthers1333 Words   |  6 PagesThe Black Panther Movement made a progressive contribution to the US and civil rights. In order for a person to understand what the Civil Rights movement was, they would need to understand what political movements were involved, that made a big impact on the Black Community. What was the Civil Rights movement? The Civil Rights movement lasted from the late 1960s and early 1970s. But, the Civil Rights was not born during that time. When Abraham Lincoln was President, he had signed an agreement namedRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr And The Civil Rights Movement1134 Words   |  5 Pages Panther Power When we think of the Civil Rights Movement, we often think of the most prominent leaders like Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X who’ve surely paved the way for the beginning of the movement. However many times we overlook the ones who aren’t talked about in the classrooms during Black History Month, or when we’re discussing the Civil Rights Movement. In response, I dedicate my paper on an African-American Organization to those who promoted the freedom and rights of BlackRead MoreSlavery During The United States966 Words   |  4 Pagesin the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco.† (History.com). According to PBS.org, African American slavery went on to last 245 years. During these times African Americans were oppressed, lynched and beaten. African Americans had no equal rights to their white counterparts. It wasn’t until a man named Abraham Lincoln took office, as the President of the United States, and created the Emancipatio n Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation abolished slavery and freed the African AmericansRead MoreThe Black Civil Rights Movement1120 Words   |  5 PagesFrom women to gay rights but it is undeniable that the black civil rights was the bloodiest and most violent among them. Two methods were used to bring message to the people: the violent or the non-violent way. Most activists and civil rights group like Martin Luther King Jr., NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) at that time chose for the latter but one did not follow that lead: the infamous Black Panthers Party. Each method hadRead MoreThe Black Panther Party By James Mcbride Vibrantly1313 Words   |  6 Pagesgroup of a bunch of blacks would turn out to be the most influential black rights movement? A group so controversial that there are many perspectives of how the general public views them. The Black Panther Party strikes up an immense amount of controversy despite their inactivity of almost 35 years. From the law enforcement’s perspective, The Black Panther Party were viewed as radical criminals who randomly murdered innocent police officers. Though from the standpoint of many blacks of the time, they