Freedom: The Rise Of The Black Power Movement

Plessy v. Ferguson , a very important case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the legality of racial segregation. At the time of the ruling, segregation between blacks and whites already existed in most schools, restaurants, and other public facilities in the American South. In the Plessy decision, the Supreme Court ruled that such segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. This amendment provides equal protection of the law to all U.S. citizens, regardless of race. The court ruled in Plessy that racial segregation was legal as long as the separate facilities for blacks and whites were “equal.”

1) How did the majority opinion in the Supreme Court’s 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision legally shape race

The African American struggle for equality began almost 400 years ago when the first black slaves were unloaded from ships in British North America in 1619. Treated as chattel with all the empathy owners would give to cattle or sheep, their lives and the lives of their progeny would drastically change for many generations. A proud and accomplished people, Africans had built vast, culturally rich civilizations complete with monarchies, colleges, and trade routes. What they found in the new world was hard work, harsh treatment, and heartbreak. They would face many struggles on the journey for equality and there is cause for much reflection that the words of the Declaration of Independence would give African Americans the hope for freedom and equality that would define their struggles simply and succinctly. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Since unalienable rights cannot be taken away or denied, the enslaved blacks took the words to heart and pursued these rights for hundreds of years. They struggled for every rung they achieved on the civil rights ladder. They struggled for the right to aspire to a higher echelon in the social strata, for political influence, the pursuit of equality in education and economic success.

C. Vann Woodward stated the Jim Crow laws did not come about immediately after the Plessy decision, but that it took some time. He stated, “In the early years of the twentieth century, it was becoming clear that the Negro would be effectively disfranchised throughout the South, … and that neither equality nor aspiration for equality in any department of life were for him “ (6-7). The Plessy decision was made in 1896, but it took some time before Americans chose to segregate every aspect of their lives from the African Americans. This shows that Plessy vs. Ferguson had no immediate impact on the lives of African Americans, but it was a strong factor in contributing to strongly favored Jim Crow laws in the South and

This included support against racism, the rights of women, and new technologies. Due to Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), a separate but equal policy was established. This allowed the use of segregation laws by all levels of government. Whites and African Americans would have to go to different public facilities, but the Black ones were far worse in quality. They were dirty and run down in comparison to their White counterparts.

The Black Power Movement took place during the 1950’s into the early 60’s. The point of the movement was to achieve civil rights for African Americans. Martin Luther King was a major influence during the early stages of the movement. Many people turned to the Black Panthers, founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, because they felt that nonviolence was not the answer to achieving civil rights. The Black Power Movement unsuccessfully tried to change the economic and social inequalities of blacks, because today many blacks are still treated socially and economically inferior to whites.

Episode nine of Eyes on the Prize focuses on the idea of black power on the freedom movement. Leaders of black communities and organizations shifted their efforts to gain political power to enable advancements in employment, housing, and education. There were different strategies to achieve this power. Some communities developed strategies to elect African-Americans to public office; while other communities determined to take control of local programs and services. This episode illustrates the mayoral race in the city of Cleveland, with Carl Stokes seeking to become the first black mayor of a major city in the United States.

The fight for equality is the war that has lasted for decades through the American history. The war has been fought by multiple ethnicities throughout history. The war created by African Power movement was slightly different; the fight was not only to have equal opportunities and rights as other citizens but also to attain the American dream. While the United States of America faced civils wars many years ago as a storm brewed that led to the emergence of the black movement that shocks the world by advocating for the black rights. The Black Power movement was simply a political movement that was formed in the 1960s with the intention of expressing some form of racial consciousness among all the black people in the United States. The “Black Power” slogan was symbolic in nature; some people viewed it as the threat with the intention of quelling the black power movement while others viewed it as a motto that could empower the black population (Allen, Boehm, Lewis, & Baker, 2004).

Around the mid- 1960s a movement called Black Power started to make way into America. Many African Americans who were frustrated with how the fight for civil rights was going (mostly youths) developed confidence and pride of their race and culture. This movement has many different definitions, but the image that sticks out is the radical militant side. One example of this group was the Nation of Islam that had a very charismatic figure head in Malcom X, who preached for separation from whites and also labeled them as the devil (Lec. November 19). Then there was another definition that isn’t thought of as much like Stokley Carmichael preached, that blacks need to be a part of the system not shy away from it (Lec. November 19). What it is the definition of Black Power? Does it apply with Carmichael or Malcom X views?

American Civil Rights movement took place during the notorious 1950’s and 1960’s, where the Caucasian population ruled over the African American people. The African Americans were viewed as second-class citizens with no rights to vote, the Caucasian people dedicated segregation. It was very rare for people to stand up and fight for their civil rights. The entire idea was to end the segregation of white and black populations around the world. Peaceful protest along with violent and non-violent methods were going to bring this plan to fruition.

Jim Crow era was a time of struggle for all African Americans. White supremacy and discrimination was established by Jim Crow laws that lasted from the end of Reconstruction until the 1960’s. The laws caused African Americans to be at a disadvantage politically and economically.

Power will always rule the people to be driven in one direction and make boundaries for the better men of the society and culture. The government of the United States of America (USA) is controlled by the majority. The whole of the population does not always agree with the decisions being made by the government and this can hurt the minority. Do you believe the minority should ignore what they believe in and accept? What if the minority is being ignored and the government will destroy something that means a great amount to you? This is what is currently happening at the Dakota Pipeline. What if you were looked down at by the government? Dr. King and protesters went through it and made it so today, people of different appearance are allowed

Today, there are many movements that are going on due to unfair ways of oppression. Oppression can be defined as “tyranny by a ruling group to the injustice some suffer due to everyday practices of a society” (Campón and Carter 2015: 497). I chose to write about the Black Power Movement because of the recent cases of oppression that have been occurring in the United States of America. Oppression can happen to people of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. The black power movement cannot be placed into a box of confinement, it much more that one movement. Since the 1960s there have been many things like small protests and movements that have contributed to the black power movement over time. There have been

The Black Power Movement was a period of violent protests that dominated during the final period of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, from 1968 to 1980 . This Movement promoted self-determination and pride in the African American race in the hopes of some day achieving equality. However, unlike the previous passive protests led by Martin Luther King, they condoned violence and militant behaviour. Due to the severity of discrimination many African Americans still endured, some saw it necessary to introduce violence. Over time the Black Power Movement began to develop militant organisations such as the Black Panther Party and the Nation of Islam. The Black Power Movement was a radical period and the final

During the Black Power movement an organization known as the Black Panther Party began its rise to power. Though the Black Panthers often sought to do good for the black community through social programs they also had a dark side.The