To What Extent was the Black Power Movement Effective in the Larger AfricanAmerican Civil Rights Movement in the United States?
Table of Contents
A. Plan of Investigation……………………………………………………………...1
B. B. Summary of Evidence………………………………………………………….2
C. Evaluation of Sources…………………………………………………………..…5
D. Analysis………………………………………………………………………..…7
E. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….…10
F. Bibliography…………………………………………………………………..…11
A. Plan of Investigation
This investigation assesses the effectiveness of the Black Power Movement
(BPM) for blacks during the larger Civil Rights Movement in the United States. To
evaluate the significance of the BPM, this investigation evaluates incidences, and
results of nonviolent protest as compared to the militant protest associated with the
BPM. Evaluation of both ideologies reveals which was most successful in gaining civil
rights for blacks. Oral history, party platforms, and secondary sources will be used to
determine the effectiveness of the BPM. Two sources used in this essay, Dr. Martin
Luther King Junior’s “Speech at the Great March on Detroit”, and Malcolm X’s
“Message to the Grass Roots” speech, will be evaluated for their origins, purposes,
values, and limitations.
All incidents of militancy and nonviolence will not be assessed. Only a few
examples of each will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the BPM in
earning blacks civil rights.
B. Summary of Evidence
In his “Speech at the Great March on Detroit”, Dr. King proclaimed, “We’ve
come to see the power of non-violence. We’ve come to see that this method is not a
weak method”.1 Indeed, nonviolent protest resulted in much success early in the Civil
Rights Movement beginning with the ruling of Brown vs. the Board of Education and
culminating in the successful 1955 Alabama bus boycott, and the dangerous sit-ins in
all white facilities.2 The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was an integrated
organization which organized these demonstrations and pioneered strategies of
nonviolence especially in the tactics of sit-ins, jail-ins, and freedom rides.3 Nonviolent
protest achieved its immediate goals with the passing of the Civil Rights Acts of
1964—which ended segregation—and of 1965—which gave blacks voting rights.4
An important turning point in the vision of the Civil Rights Movement came
in the form of violent protest against the vicious police beating of a black man in
Watts, California in 1965.5 This rebellion shocked America and set off similar ones so
that, “By 1967, there had been more than 10 major black, urban rebellions in cities
across the country”.6
In the midst of this changing ideology, the Black Panther Party (BPP) was
founded in 1966.7 With a membership restricted to Blacks only its main goal was,
“the national liberation of Afrikan people in the U.S.8” The BPP’s significance stems
from its role as the only organization during the entire Civil Rights Movement that
Martin Luther King Jr., “Speech at the Great March on Detroit,” Detroit. 23 June 1963,
http://www.mlkonline.net/detroit.html (24 Nov. 2008).
2 “What was the Black Panther Party?” The Black Panther Party.
<http://www.blackpanther.org/legacynew.htm> (24 Nov. 2008).
3 “The History of CORE,” CORE: Congress of Racial Equality. 2006, <http://www.coreonline.org/History/history.htm> (24 Nov. 2008).
4 James Graham. “Why Non-Violence Waned and Black Power Gained Popularity after 1965,” 2006,
<http://www.historyorb.com/america/civilrights2.shtml> (24 Nov. 2008).
5 “What Was the Black Panther Party?”
6 “What Was the Black Panther Party?”
7 “What Was the Black Panther Party?”
8 Sundiata Acoli, “Brief History of the Black Panther Party,” Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign, 2
April 1985, <http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/004.html> (24 Nov. 2008).
1
was armed and promoted a revolutionary agenda.9 As Malcolm X proclaimed, “there
is no such thing as a nonviolent revolution. Revolution is based on land. Land is the
basis of freedom, justice, and equality.10 The BPP was about more than revolution, it
sought to gain tangible assets for the black community. It worked at the grass roots
level by developing social programs to provide needed attention and services to
blacks, and more specifically, poor blacks.11 These programs—which provided an
alternative and more humane social model—were called Survival Programs and used
the slogan, “survival pending revolution.”12 The first of these, the Free Breakfast for
Children Program, started in a Catholic church in San Francisco and spread to every
major city in America which had a BPP.13 Eventually, the programs came to include:
Not only the free breakfast programs and free clinics, but also grocery
giveaways, the manufacture and distribution of free shoes, school and
education programs, senior transport and service programs, free bussing
to prisons and prisoner support and legal aid programs among others. 14
Along with creating social programs, the BPP promoted self-defense, created a
revolutionary nationalist ideology, and implemented mass organizing techniques.15
Many see the BPP as adding armed struggle, the final ingredient needed in the Civil
Rights Movement that was necessary to attain freedom and that this was what was
able to set the Movement on the final road to victory.16
However, the Black Power Movement was about more than just militancy, it
can also be seen as a black consciousness movement which sought to celebrate black
culture.17 According to historian James Graham, “At black power’s core were black
unity, self-determination and pride in black culture. Distinctive hairstyles, soul music
“What Was the Black Panther Party?”
Malcolm X, “Message to the Grass Roots Speech,” 10 Nov 1963,
<http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/malcolmxgrassroots.htm> (24 Nov. 2008).
11 “What Was the Black Panther Party?”
12 “What Was the Black Panther Party?”
13 “What Was the Black Panther Party?”
14 “What Was the Black Panther Party?”
15 Acoli
16 Acoli
17 James Graham. “The Philosophies and Strategies of the Non-Violence and Black Power
Movements,” 2006, <http://www.historyorb.com/america/civilrights2.shtml> (24 Nov. 2008).
9
10
and soul theology were just some aspects made popular by the philosophy of black
power.”18 The BPM used black studies programs and the teaching of African
languages as a way to strengthen black identity pride, and used community control of
black neighborhoods and institutions as a way of creating a black power base.19
18
19
Graham, “The Philosophies and Strategies of the Non-Violence and Black Power Movements.”
Graham, “The Philosophies and Strategies of the Non-Violence and Black Power Movements.”
C. Evaluation of Sources
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s “Speech at the Great March on Detroit” was
delivered to an audience of about 200,000 on June 23, 1963. This speech was a
preamble to the famous, “I Have a Dream Speech” given in Washington, DC, one
month later. The time period of this document is significant because King’s speech is
given before his famous, “March on Washington,” and before nonviolent protest’s
crowning achievement of the passing of the Civil Rights Acts. With this speech, King
was interested in determining the extent of his support, promoting the values and
goals of nonviolent civil rights protest, and gaining national exposure. This speech’s
value lies in its ability to show the similarities between non-violent protest and
militant protest which are often thought of as antipodes. King realizes that both
types of protest want the same goals of black self-sufficiency, and political, social, and
economic rights.20 This speech is limited because it was intended for a specific
integrated audience of blacks and whites. King used very persuasive arguments
which appealed to the emotions of the crowd in order for both races to believe in his
ideology. Since he knew that his speech would be heard by whites who supported the
Movement this may have affected the language King used which was careful not to
insult whites, but instead focus on uplifting blacks and whites.
Not five months after King’s speech was given, Malcolm X, the leading orator
for the more militant members of the Civil Rights Movement, delivered his “Message
to the Grass Roots” speech on November 10, 1963, also in Detroit, Michigan. The
purpose of this speech was to raise black awareness of their position in American
society and to get blacks to support Black Nationalism.21 Since it was written some
time after King’s “March on Washington,” it is able to critique the “corruption”
Malcolm sees in the leadership of nonviolent protest movements. The value of this
speech is in Malcolm’s ability to connect the African-American Civil Rights
Movement to similar revolutions around the globe proving that, “there’s no such
20
21
King
X
thing as a nonviolent revolution,” and justifying the use of violence in the American
Civil Rights Movement.22 While King’s speech notes the value of other protest
strategies, Malcolm’s speech is limited because of its singular focus and heavy bias for
black supremacy and Black Nationalism as the only means of gaining civil rights for
blacks in America. This document is also limited because Malcolm did not focus on
the white’s who would hear his speech; his intended audience was blacks and was
therefore one-sided.
22
X
D. Analysis
The Civil Rights Movement is usually taught as an African-American
demonstration of the power of nonviolence to create social, political, and economic
change. However, the Civil Rights Movement can more accurately be seen as a larger
movement encompassing strategies of nonviolence and militancy, policies of
integration and segregation, and other contradicting leaders, ideologies, and goals.
While nonviolence was effective, it may not be solely responsible for the civil rights
enjoyed by African-Americans today. The Black Power Movement (BPM)—
including militant strategy—was also effective in gaining African-Americans their
civil rights.
Dr. King in his “Speech at the Great March on Detroit” cried out, “We want
all of our rights, we want them here, and we want them now!”23 And although
nonviolent protestors fought hard to gain all of their civil rights—they were not
completely successful.
The early Civil Rights Movement had local successes with perfecting protest in
the form of sit-ins, jail-ins, freedom rides, boycotts, and marches. All of these efforts
from 1955-1965 were mostly nonviolent with the crowning glory of the nonviolent
Movement being the passing of the federal Civil Rights Acts in 1964 and 1965 which
ended segregation and gave blacks voting rights.24 The significance of nonviolent
protest can be seen as its revelation to blacks that they could organize successfully to
gain civil rights. As black consciousness was awakened and hopes for the future
revived, they realized that protest could succeed.25 However, non-violent protest,
while responsible for the attainment of political rights, did not help end the
underlying socioeconomic discrimination faced by African-Americans. Soon after the
Civil Rights Acts were passed and blacks still did not enjoy the rights they longed for,
they began to challenge the conditions keeping them socioeconomically oppressed.26
King
Graham, “Why Non-Violence Waned and Black Power Gained Popularity after 1965.”
25 Graham, “Why Non-Violence Waned and Black Power Gained Popularity after 1965.”
26 Graham, “Why Non-Violence Waned and Black Power Gained Popularity after 1965.”
23
24
These underlying tensions were brought to the forefront with the rebellion in
Watts, California in 1965 after the brutal police beating of a black man.27 Although
their voting rights were protected, blacks still faced discrimination and sometimes
endured violent acts of racism. African-Americans realized that their political rights
were not enough to protect them in their daily struggles with the socioeconomic
discrimination they still endured. Young, urban blacks began to reject nonviolence,
rebellions broke out throughout America’s cities, and a new era arose in which more
forceful action was used to gain civil rights. Thus began the Black Power Movement.
While civil rights protest is considered revolutionary, the BPM is often
referred to as rebellious. In reality, both movements were organized and employed
both national and local leadership. However, the media portrayal of the BPM was
one of unorganized, violent, rebellion. Therefore, while other Americans sympathized
with nonviolent protestors, the BPM caused them to fear blacks. The Black Panther
Party (BPP) gives an example of how the BPM suffered from a negative media
portrayal.28
The BPP also gives an example of how the BPM was able to create social
programs to help blacks, provide physical protection from violence, and develop a
proud black identity.29 In the absence of laws to effectively protect them in everyday
life, groups such as the Black Panther Party (BPP) created programs by blacks, for
blacks, which would improve their daily lives and offer a source of community,
socioeconomic, and military protection. Early on, Malcolm X saw the potential for
militancy to bring about change. He saw nonviolence as a means for whites to control
the “black revolution” and temper black aggression. Dr. King also praised militancy;
but he warned against its extreme form—black supremacy—which he believed was
just as harmful as white supremacy. Malcolm X therefore became a prominent leader
for blacks who saw militancy as an answer for the everyday discrimination they faced.
And although it may not be considered black supremacy, black pride was
“What Was the Black Panther Party?”
Acoli
29
Clayborne Carson, “African-American Leadership and Mass Mobilization,” The Black Scholar 24, 1994.
<http://www.stanford.edu/~ccarson/articles/black_scholar.htm> (24 Nov. 2008).
27
28
definitely a result of the Black Power Movement. The BPM fundamentally changed
black culture by increasing, “black unity, self-determination and pride in black
culture.”30 This is evidenced by the, “distinctive hairstyles, soul music, and soul
theology,” that were created.31 While the BPM may not have gained blacks political
power, its achievement was its ability to help African-Americans gain ethnic pride
and improve their socioeconomic status in American society.32
Graham, “The Philosophies and Strategies of the Non-Violence and Black Power Movements.”
Graham, “The Philosophies and Strategies of the Non-Violence and Black Power Movements.”
32
Carson
30
31
E. Conclusion
Usually, the Black Power Movement is portrayed in history books as involving
unsuccessful, unorganized militancy. In reality, this movement played an integral
role in gaining blacks their civil rights. Although the Civil Rights Movement is
usually taught as a model of nonviolent protest, in reality, the BPM was equally
important. Nonviolent protest successfully gained political rights, but often the
Black Power Movement is not given its due recognition. Although the success of the
BPM is not as easy to determine (i.e. federal law), and it may not be considered the
most effective strategy used by blacks, the movement was very successful. Without
the threat of violence, improved socioeconomic status may never have been achieved.
The value of the BPM was its ability to promote black unity, pride, and culture,
create socially responsible black communities, and demonstrate black militant force as
a more formidable alternative to nonviolent protest.
Word Count
1,991
F. Bibliography
Acoli, Sudiata. “Brief History of the Black Panther Party.” Sundiata Acoli Freedom
Campaign. 2 April 1985. 24 Nov. 2008 <http://www.hartfordhwp.com/archives/45a/004.html>.
Carson, Clayborne. “African-American Leadership and Mass Mobilization.” The
Black Scholar 24 (1994). Stanford University. 24 Nov 2008
<http://www.stanford.edu/~ccarson/articles/black_scholar.htm>.
Graham, James. “The Philosophies and Strategies of the Non-Violence and Black
Power Movements.” 2006. 24 Nov 2008
<http://www.historyorb.com/america/civilrights.shtml>.
Graham, James. “Why Non-Violence Waned and Black Power Gained Popularity
after 1965.” 2006. 24 Nov 2008
<http://www.historyorb.com/america/civilrights2.shtml>.
“The History of CORE.” CORE: Congress of Racial Equality. 2006. 24 Nov 2008.
<http://www.core-online.org/History/history.htm>.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. “Speech at the Great March on Detroit.” Detroit. 23 June
1963 <http://www.mlkonline.net/detroit.html>.
“What was the Black Panther Party?” The Black Panther Party. 24 Nov. 2008
<http://www.blackpanther.org/legacynew.htm>.
X, Malcolm. “Message to the Grass Roots Speech.” Detroit. 10 Nov. 1963
<http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/malcolmxgrassroots.htm>.