History of the Black Panthers
Both attitudinal and institutional racism grossly intertwined in U.S. society and government finally led to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. (Winters, 1994) One of the many organized forces demanding quality and respect for Blacks in the United States of America was The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The Party was organized by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, both of whom were college students at the time. The party spread eastward across the country and flourished throughout the 1960's. The Black Panther movement was known for its radical and frequently violent tactics; however, these tactics often overshadowed the many positive contributions that the party made to the Black Liberation Movement. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale and later led by Eldridge Cleaver, started in Oakland, California, in 1967. The Black Muslim leader, Malcolm X, who had called on the black people to defend themselves, influenced both Newton and Seale. The Panthers dressed in uniforms of black berets and leather jackets, and were heavily armed-a look that reinforced their militant policies. (Foner, 1995) The Party's original purpose was to patrol black ghettoes to protect black re
By the mid-1970's the group began to lose many of its members. As well, it was losing support from American black leaders, who objected to the party's methods. Continual violent confrontations with police, FBI raids, and incarceration of the groups leaders hampered the group. The BPP lost even more support after newspaper reports appeared describing the illicit activities of party leaders, including the extortion schemes directed against Oakland merchants. (Foner, 1995) Weakened by external attacks, legal problems and internal division, the BPP eventually dissolved in the early 1980's. rs late the US government established similar programs such as free school lunch, expanded Medicare and daycare facilities, and liberalized court procedures for tenant takeovers of poorly maintained housing. "The government established these types social programs, partly if not primarily in order to snuff our the memory of previous similar BPP programs and the principle of self-reliance." (Acoli, 1995) Despite the turbulent history of the Black Panther Party, they managed to have a significant positive impact on the Black Liberation Movement. There are several fundamental contributions that must not be overlooked Newton and Seale articulated their goals in a ten-point platform. The platform was divided into "What We Want" and What We Believe". "What We Want" were the practical, specific things that blacks needed and that should exist. At the same time, they expressed philosophically, but concretely, what they believed. For each point under "What We Want", there was a corresponding point for "What We Believe". (See Abstract 1) They summarized their demands in the final point of their platform: "We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace." (Black Panther Party, 1995) Committee (SNCC), which excluded white members after 1966. (Myers, 1999) ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1966
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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