THE BLACK PANTHER
PARTY
BY
JOSE VILLAGOMEZ
INTRODUCTION
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THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY WAS A GROUP
ASSOCIATED WITH AFRICAN AMERICANS AND
RACISM.
THE GROUP EXISTED FROM LATE 1966 THROUGH
1976, WHICH MEANS THAT THE GROUP ONLY
EXISTED FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS.
THE GROUP WAS FOUNDED IN CALIFORNIA IN
LATE 1966 BY BOBBY SEALE AND HUEY P.
NEWTON.
THE TEN POINT PROGRAM
THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY CREATED THE TEN POINT PROGRAM BY
CREATING TEN STATEMENTS TELLING THE WORLD WHAT THEY DEMAND.
1.) “WE WANT POWER TO DETERMINE THE DESTINY OF OUR BLACK AND
OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES’ EDUCATION THAT TEACHES OUR TRUE HISTORY
AND THE ROLE IN THE PRESENT DAY SOCIETY.”
2.) “WE WANT COMPLETELY FREE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL BLACK AND
OPPRESSED PEOPLE.”
3.) “WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDER OF
BLACK PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLE IN
THE UNITED STATES.”
4.) “WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO ALL WARS OF AGGRESSION.”
5.) “WE WANT FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR OUR PEOPLE.”
THE TEN POINT PROGRAM CONTINUED
6.) “WE WANT AN END TO THE ROBBERY BY THE CAPITALISTS OF THEIR
BLACK COMMUNITY.”
7.) “WE WANT DECENT HOUSING, FIT FOR THE SHELTER OF HUMAN BEINGS.”
8.) “WE WANT DECENT EDUCATION FOR OUR PEOPLE THAT EXPOSES THE
TRUE NATURE OF THIS DECADENT AMERICAN SOCIETY.”
9.) “WE WANT FREEDOM FOR ALL BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE NOW
HELD IN U.S, FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, CITY AND MILITARY PRISONS AND
JAILS. WE WANT TRIALS BY A JURY OF PEERS FOR ALL PERSONS CHARGED
WITH SO CALLED CRIMES UNDER THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY.”
10.) “WE WANT LAND, BREAD, HOUSING, EDUCATION, CLOTHING, JUSTICE,
PEACE AND PEOPLE’S COMMUNITY CONTROL OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY.”
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
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THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY QUICKLY UNITED
WITH THE STUDENT NONVIOLENT COORDINATING
COMMITTEE, HEADED BY THE STOKELY
CARMICHAEL (WHICH LATER BECAME KNOWN AS
KWAME TURE) .
IN 1967, THE PARTY CREATED A PROTEST IN
FRONT OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITAL
AGAINST THEIR ATTEMPT TO OUTLAW CARRYING
LOADED WEAPONS IN PUBLIC.
IN 1968, THE MINISTER OF THE PARTY ELDRIDGE
CLEAVER RAN FOR PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE ON THE
PEACE AND FREEDOM LINEUP.
NEWTON’S ARREST
• HUEY P. NEWTON WAS ARRESTED FOR AN
•
•
ALLEGED MURDER.
PEOPLE WOULD CREATE A “FREE HUEY”
CAMPAIGN, WHICH WAS MADE BY ELRIDGE
CLEAVER TO HELP NEWTON’S LEGAL DEFENSE.
HE ENDED UP BEING CONVICTED, BUT
OVERTURNED IN THE 70S.
THEIR
INVOLVEMENT
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IN EARLY 1968, THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY
WAS INVOLVED IN A GUN BATTLE, WHERE
PANTHER BOBBY HUTTON WAS MURDERED.
ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS OF THER BLACK
PANTHER PARTY WAS TO STOPABUSE BY LOCAL
POLICE DEPARTMENTS.
WHEN THE PARTY WAS FIRST FORMED IN THE
1960’S, ONLY 16 OUT OF ABOUT 650 POLICE
OFFICERS WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN.
THE MURDER OF TWO
PANTHERS
WHEN THE PARTY WAS ACTIVE FROM 1966
– 1972, MOST POLICE DEPARTMENTS HAVE
HIRED MORE AFRICAN AMERICAN
OFFICERS.
IN 1969 IN CHICAGO, TWO PANTHERS,
MARK CLARK AND FRED HAMPTON WERE
MURDEREDBY THE POLICE.
THE FIVE POLICE OFFICERS THERE WERE
ALL AFRICAN – AMERICANS.
THE TWO PANTHERS WERE KILLLED BY
JAMES DAVIS.
WARFARE WITH COINTELPRO
• BY AUGUST 1967, THE FBI CREATED ITS
PROGRAM KNOWN AS “COINTELPRO” TO
CANCEL “BLACK NATIONALIST HATE
GROUPS”.
• EVEN TOUGH IF “COINTELPRO” WAS
COMMISSIONED TO PREVENT VIOLENCE, IT
HAS USED SOME TACTICS TO FOSTER
VIOLENCE.
• IN EARLY 1969, MEMBERS OF THE PARTY
HAVE KILLED ALEX RACKLEY, WHO WAS A
MEMBER OF THE PARTY.THEY SUSPECTED
THAT HE WAS A POLICE INFORMAT.
WARFARE WITH
COINTELPRO (CONT.)
• THE PEOPLE WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE MURDER GAVE THEMSELVES IN.
• THE PARTY MEMBERS WHO WERE
RESPONSIBLE WERE WARREN KIMBRO,
GEORGE SAMS, JR., AND LONNIE
MCLUCAS.
• AFTER THE MURDER, SUPPORTERS FROM
THE PARTY HAVE ALLEGED THAT SAMS
WAS THE SNITCH & AN AGENT
PROVOCATEUR EMPLOYED BY THE FBI.
SUPPORT
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IN FEBUARY 1968, A HUGE RALLY WAS HELD
FOR NEWTON IN THE OAKLAND AUDITORIUM.
THE SPEAKERS AT THE EVENT INCLUDED
STOKELY CARMICHAEL, H. RAP BROWN, AND
JAMES FORMAN.
THE PARTY’S SLOGANS HAVE SPREAD IN A
LOT OF LOCATIONS.
AT THE SUMMER OLYMPICS OF 1968, TOMMIE
SMITH AND JOH CARLOS WHO WERE TWO
AMERICAN MEDALISTS, GAVE THE BLACK
POWER SALUTE DURING THE SINGING OF
THE AMERICAN NATIONLA ANTHEM.
THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
HAVE BANNED BOTH MEN FROM THE OLYMPIC
GAMES FOR LIFE.
VIOLENCE
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IN LATE 1967, POLICE OFFICER JOHN
FREY WAS SHOT TO DEATH IN AN
ALTERCATION WITH NEWTON DURING A
TRAFFIC STOP.
IN THE STOP, NEWTON ALONG WITH
BACKUP OFFICER HERBERT HEANES
ALSO WENT THROUGH GUN WOUNDS.
NEWTON WAS THEN CONVICTED OF
VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER AT TRIAL.
VIOLENCE (CONT.)
 IN APRIL 1968, MEMBER BOBBY HUTTON,
WHO HELD THE TITLE OF THE MINISTRY
OF DEFENSE GOT KILLED WHILE
CLEAVER WAS WOUNDED IN A
SHOOTOUT WITH THE OAKLAND POLICE.
 FROM THE FALL OF 1967 THROUGH THE
END OF 1969, NINE POLICE OFFICERS
WERE KILLED AND ABOUT 55 WERE
WOUNDED IN CONFRONTATIONS WITH
THE PANTHERS.
THE DECAY

THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY HAD TO
EVENTUALLY FALL APART BECAUSE OF RISING
LEGAL COSTS AND INTERNAL DISPUTES.
 BY 1974, NEWTON ASSIGNED ELAINE BROWN AS
THE FIRST CHAIRWOMAN OF THE PARTY.
 UNDER HER LEADERSHIP, THEY BECAME
INVOLVED IN ORGANIZING FOR MORE RADICAL
ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS, INCLUDING HER
UNSUCCESSFUL RUN FOR OAKLAND
CITYCOUNCIL AND LIONEL WILSON’S
SUCCESSFUL ELECTION AS THE FIRST AFRICAN
AMERICAN MAYOR OF OAKLAND.
THE DECAY (CONT.)

IN 1977 AFTER NEWTON RETURNED
FROM CUBA AND ORDERED THE
BEATING OF A WOMAN PANTHER
WHO PUT TOGETHER MOST OF THE
PARTY’S SOCIAL PROGRAMS,
BROWN DECIDED THAT SHE NEEDED
TO REST FOR A WHILE AND LEFT
THE PARTY.
PICTURES
• (LEFT): THE PANTHERS AT A RALLY.
• (RIGHT): BLACK PANTHER LOGO.
PICTURES (CONT.)
 (LEFT):
HUEY P. NEWTON.
 (RIGHT): BOBBY SEALE.
PICTURES (CONT.)
 (LEFT): FROM LEFT BOBBY SEALE +
HUEY P. NEWTON.
 (RIGHT): ELRIDGE CLEAVER’S BOOK
“SOUL ON ICE”
TIMELINE
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OCTOBER 1966 – BOBBY SEALE + HUEY NEWTON HAVE FOUND THE BLACK
PANTHER PARTY OF SELF DEFENSE IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.
MAY 1967 – ARMED PARTNERS INVADE THE CAPITOL IN CALIFORNIA TO
PROTECT LEGISLATION LIMITING THEIR RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS.
MARCH 1968 – ELRIDGE CLEAVER PUBLISHES “SOUL ON ICE”, WHICH
BECAME A BEST – SELLER.
APRIL 1968 – SHOOT OUT BETWEEN PANTHERS AND OAKLAND POLICE
LEAVES 17 YEAR OLD PANTHER BOBBY HUTTON KILLED.
SEPTEMBER 1968 – NEWTON FOUND GUILTY OF VOLUNTARY
MANSLAUGHTER OF AN OAKLAND POLICE OFFFICER AND WAS SENTENCED
TO 15 YEARS.
JANUARY 1969 – UCLA SHOOT OUT BETWEEN PANTHERS AND THE U S
ORGANIZATION KILLS LEADERS JOHN HIGGINS + BUNCHY CARTER.
SEPTEMBER 1969 – OPENING OF THE CHICAGO EIGHT TRIAL. BOBBY SEALE
AND SEVEN OTHERS WERE ACCUSED OF CROSSING STATE LINES TO INCITE
RIOTING AT THE 1968 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
TIMELINE (CONT.)
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DECEMBER 1969 – A PREDAWN RAID BY POLICE LEAVES
PANTHERS FRED HAMPTION AND MARK CLARK DEAD IN
CHICAGO.
AUGUST 1974 – NEWTON WAS CHARGED WITH
MURDERING A PROSTITUTE + PISTOL – WHIPPING A
TAILOR AND FLEES TO CUBA, TURNING THE PARTY OVER
TO ELAINE BROWN. HE RETURNS THREE YEARS LATER,
AND IS IN/OUT OF PRISON FOR THAT OFFENSE AND FOR
OTHERS FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS.
JANUARY 1976 – A SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
REVEALS THE CONTENTS OF AN FBI REPORT THAT SHOWS
THAT THE FBI ENCOURAGED WARFARE BETWEEN BLACK
GROUPSIN CALIFORNIA IN THE LATE ’60S.
AUGUST 1989 – HUEY NEWTON IS KILLED IN WEST
OAKLAND.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7375
http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/Black%20Panther%20Pty.htm
http://www.blackpanther.org/TenPoint.htm
http://www.blackpanther.org/legacynew.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USApantherB.htm

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG01/hughes/time.html

http://indigenousrights.net.au/timeline.asp?startyear=1960
Austin, Curtis J. (2006). Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making
and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party. University of Arkansas
Press
Forbes, Flores A. (2006). Will You Die With Me? My Life and the
Black Panther Party. Atria Books
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PICTURE SOURCES
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http://www.nationalexpositor.com/files.php?file=BP_296125199.jpg
http://www.ilkahartmann.com/members/jbrave/phototext.nsf/topiclu/A
7AAA06DCE719A5688256D9700698816/$FILE/bobby_seale_spea
king_at_black_panther_party_rally_mayday_1969_san_francisco.jp
g
http://api.ning.com/files/0a7HFZ033ULyAZ8ATfMtudB3MOBSAeLhc
YkBC1AQvmJrG2Bu8at*OKcjhA0owIkjt2UCjwFULjwJSJKcVVp2JC
GN2XkCwQSG/HueyP.jpg
http://www.wntb.com/blackachievers/bobbyseale/bobbyseale.jpg
http://bjanepr.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/huey-newton-bobbyseale.gif
http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/Photofiles/eldridge%20cleav
er.jpg