In late September of 1966, at a small poverty center in North Oakland, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale began to draft the Ten-Point Platform and Program, thus creating the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. From this creation rose a complex nationalist organization with chapters throughout the United States that sought to educate the people politically, and from that education give the people the desire to rage a revolution in order to have their needs and political agenda fulfilled. The Black Panther Party was the epitome of the nationalist option throughout the late 60s and 70s, and they had the need to create change within what they believed to be the racist power structure of the United States. The Black Panther Party was able to organize the people, and take part in actions that would help to implement social change. The Panthers created opportunistic programs for the Black youth in order to help build up the community. In addition, the Panthers also staged many demonstrations and protests that not only brought together the Black community, but also benefited the cause of equal rights. Despite all of the beneficial aspects that the Black Panther Party brought t

"Black 3Community Bulletin: San Francisco Edition." Black Panther Party, Ministry of Information. August 1970.

Jones, Charles E. The Black Panther Party Reconsidered. Baltimore: Black Classic Press, 1998.

Cagno and Lolley. The Legacy of the Black Panthers. .

Spartacus Education. 9 April 2001

In 1966, police brutality was a problem in many areas of the country. The newly formed Black Panther Party for Self Defense sent a strong message in addressing this problem: they wanted police brutality to stop, and to do this they proposed the tactic of self-defense. The idea of self-defense, along with the group's nationalistic views is portrayed in the Black Panther Party's ten-point program. The Ten-Point Program was based on simplicities that any citizen of the United States would desire. Composed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, the Ten-Point Program became a key component in the organization of the group. The program stresses freedom for those who were being oppressed, and an end to the repressive government. The Program also strongly advocated the use of guns for self-defense and stressed the 2nd Amendment. With thousands of copies of the Ten-Point Program in hand, Newton, Seale, and Bobby Hutton went throughout the Black community articulating the Program to the people, gathering support. The three then went on to set up the 1st official headquarters of the Black Panther Party in North Oakland. After the creation of this office in Northern Oakland, interest in the Black Panther Party began to increase throughout Oakland; later this interest spread on a national level, with chapters in 48 states, and a few international chapters as well .

Marine, Gene. The Black Panthers. New York: New American Library, 1979.

The Black Panther Party was in all aspects of the term, a nationalist group. The Panthers felt that the government was incapable of providing a just government for all men, particularly Black men, and that the government should be replaced with a system that could insure justice. The Black Panther Party's Ten-Point Program accurately details this goal. The Ten-Point Program was a basic desire for Black America to get what White America was granted without question, and what Black America had been deprived of. The Programs demands were simple: freedom to determine the destiny of Black communities, full employment, an end to exploitation of Black communities by Capitalists, decent housing, health care, an end to police brutality, an end to war, and trials for Blacks with a Black jury as opposed to an all White jury . To be granted these demands, the Ten-Point Program states, "...it is their [the Black community's] right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security ." The Ten-Point Program and Platform boldly called for an overthrow of the government, and encouraged people to take up arms to protect "themselves against these fascist police forces ." The Panther's were advocating revolutionary change, and the people were listening.

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