Journal Article Review Revolutionary Black Nationalism: The Black Panther Party takes an in-depth look into the Black Panther Party as a specific example for revolutionary nationalism and analyzes thoroughly the positive contributions they made as well as the negative aspects of the party. Jessica C. Harris, who was obsessed with the history of the party, did research and wrote the paper. This journal (pages from 409-421) is from The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 86, No. 3. (Summer, 2001). The whole paper embodies author’s broad scope, exquisite writing skills and clear logic in analyzing a controversial topic. Black Nationalism is an ideology that aims at liberating the black from oppression and setting up …show more content…
FBI (COINTELPRO) took actions to systematically destroy the party both externally and internally. On one hand, FBI took advantage of the conflict between Black Panther Party and Karenga’s US Organization to let these two clans fight with each other. On the other hand, FBI divided the key leaders by setting them up in a hostile position. Finally, the party met its end in the year of 1974. To discuss the aftermath, we should analyze it in two aspects. Black Panther Party actually contributed to black American society and black rights struggle in several ways; meanwhile, it also made serious errors that cannot be tolerated. People should be alert and have a full understanding on what led to its demise. The author has a broad scope for describing a certain topic and researched thoroughly on it. For example, in order to describe the Black Panther Party, the author first clearly states the original ideology of the party. Then she introduces the background information of key leaders in detail to make a relation to why they would found such a party. After that, she discusses the whole process of development for the party, from the beginning to the end. She did research so well that she even provides information such as how the leaders raised money for weapons (by selling Mao Tse-Tung’s book) and how FBI destroyed the party and so on. These kinds of anecdote-liked facts delight the whole article. First, the facts broaden the
Black Nationalism started in the late 1700s, starting with the American Colonization Society, or the ACS (McNeil and Mintz.”Black Nationalism and Black Power”). The ACS wanted free blacks to move to Liberia, on the western coastline of Africa. African Americans didn’t start believing in this idea until a wealthy African American man named Paul Cuffee started to support the cause (Davis and Brown. “The Antipathy of Black Nationalism.”). Another one of the early black nationalist leaders was Martin Delany, an abolitionist from the 1800s, who wanted blacks from the north to move back to Africa where they can settle back down and along with the natives and help build nation states. The African leaders needed help building countries in the devastating chaos the Europeans brought (Brooks.”Black Nationalism.”).
As a result of the government-mandated segregation, resistance in both the United States and South Africa escalated. In other words, the history of the African civil rights movement taught: “Nationalism has been tested in the people’s struggles . . . and found to be the only antidote against foreign rule and modern imperialism” (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 2008, 156). By comparing and contrasting the Jim Crow Laws and apartheid, we are able convey that nationalism ultimately lead to activism and reform.
The Black Panther Party had a great deal of negative outlooks portrayed on them by not everyone, but more than half of the society. Without a doubt, the Black Panther Party addressed multiple situations with violent acts that implemented negativity towards them. The late Martin Luther King believed that he could obtain equality without having to use violence as a lament, instead the Black Panther’s believed that King’s non-violence movement had failed, and that violence was necessary to get through to the people who saw black communities and minority groups as insignificant. Although, the Black Panther Party only granted membership to African Americans, they weren’t anti-white, the Black Panther Party considered themselves
Organized in the 1960s at the height of the American Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panther Party emerged as a revolutionist group pioneering a strategy of militancy. The Party’s aims were to eliminate the discrimination challenging African-Americans in America since the time of slavery, and to protect their communities from police brutality. Inspired by contemporary radical leaders such as Malcolm X, the party recognized that in order to restructure American society so that civil equality was obtainable by all people, a much stronger opposition was necessary. Party members felt the passive resistance adopted by their predecessors fighting for equality proved
The Black Panther Party was the most influential revolutionary group during the Civil Rights movement era. The BPP became a very strong political power. It influenced many government decisions and attracted the mass media. Yet, due to a number of reasons the BPP eventually collapsed. The Black Panther Party came to its demise due to government operations against it, various mistakes by the Party itself, and by short comings by its own leaders.
Who would know that a ragtag group of a bunch of blacks would turn out to be the most influential black rights movement? A group so controversial that there are many perspectives of how the general public views them. The Black Panther Party strikes up an immense amount of controversy despite their inactivity of almost 35 years. From the law enforcement’s perspective, The Black Panther Party were viewed as radical criminals who randomly murdered innocent police officers. Though from the standpoint of many blacks of the time, they were viewed as heroes and martyrs, those who died and cared for their community. As James McBride vibrantly describes in his memoir, The Color of Water, his relationship toward The Black Panther Party was
In general, they felt that African-Americans had been treated as second-class citizens since the end of the Civil War solely because they were Black. The Panthers developed a platform called the “Ten Point Program” that described the changes they demanded to see in American society. They wanted a country in which Black children are provided the same educational opportunities as White children, and thought that Blacks could only progress by being taught the true history of Black oppression in the U.S. They demanded that Black Americans have jobs that paid the same wages as Whites and weren’t limited to labor intensive positions. The party also felt that the police force instigated more conflict and violence than protection, and believed they needed to provide security for Blacks by themselves. Although they were known for using gun power when necessary, the Panthers envisioned a peaceful society under a just government where all races could live together. Simply put, the Black Panthers felt the United States government was not allowing Black Americans to the live in the land of equal opportunity, but rather denying them the freedoms and liberties constitutionally entitled to them. The Black Panthers wanted African-Americans to be able to determine their destiny.
While historical events serve as good starting points for analyzing the politicization process, Pulido places a particular emphasis on understanding how the historical setting, in tandem with racial and economic hierarchies, influenced the activities of Third World Left activist groups. A compelling example in this regard is the relationship between the Black Panther Party (BPP) and whites during this time period. The BPP, being a Third World activist group which espoused a “rhetoric of Third World solidarity”, understandably did not allow whites to join the group (163). Nevertheless, the BPP did work together with whites, who provided “resources, skills and connections that the Panthers desperately needed,” especially in legal matters (164). The cooperation between the two groups suggests, on the part of the Panthers, an understanding of the underlying racial hierarchy and the resulting economic hierarchy, and an attempt to use this awareness to further their goals. This is a sensible choice, especially considering the fact that the BPP was founded on the idea of mobilizing the “lumpen proletariat” to protect their own (144), leaving them with little
3. Black nationalism supports a racial definition of national identity. Blacks wanted independence from European society. The purpose of this movement was to gain economic power and infuse a sense of community among African Americans. Black nationalists wanted to maintain their separate identity as a people. They wanted to invoke a sense of pride in African Americans in the United States. Also, black nationalism in the 20th century was greatly influenced by Marcus Garvey.
The beginning of black militancy in the United States is said to have begun with the chants “Black Power” demanded by Stokely Carmichael and Willie Ricks during the 1966 March against Fear. While Carmichael and Ricks may have coined the phrase “black power”, the roots of the movement had been planted long before by Mr. Robert F. Williams. In Timothy Tyson’s book: Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power, Tyson details the life of a remarkable man who had the audacity not only to challenge racial injustice in America but also to contest the rarely disputed strategies of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Establishment.
Founded on October 15th 1966 in Oakland, California, the Black Panther Party for Self Defense was an organization opposed to police brutality against the black community. The Party’s political origins were in Maoism, Marxism, and the radical militant ideals of Malcolm X and Che Guevara. From the doctrines of Maoism they saw the role of their Party as the frontline of the revolution and worked to establish a unified alliance, while from Marxism they addressed the capitalist economic system, and exemplified the need for all workers to forcefully take over means of production (Baggins, Brian). Mao was important to the Black Panthers because of his different stance on Marxism-Leninism when applied to Chinese peasants. The founders of the Black
The Black Panther Party has been as a controversial organization known for their ideas on black power and use of violence. However, they created programs that provided children free breakfast and medical care. They have remained as an important part of history from the civil rights movement. The organization was formed in October 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in California. They formed a ten-point program to bring full equality for African Americans in trials, employment, military, etc.
The Black Panther Party was an American terrorist group that operated from the 1960s to 70s. They were not active for a prolonged period of time, but played a key role in history for all African Americans. This essay will discuss the origin, ideology, methods and impact of the Black Panther Party on the United States of America and the police force in Los Angeles. This essay will also discuss the significant impact the Black Panthers had on the FBI.
Nicholas Lemann’s book helps us to heed to the lessons and experiences of the slaves in the golden age, from the 1930s to the 1970s. America’s working class was comprised heavily of racial and ethnic minorities, who often stood in problematic relation to political and civil societies. When they tried flexing their political muscle, either through in their workplace, or electoral means, they were often provoked by the hard fist of authority. African Americans who prearranged the Republican Party in Grant Parish, Louisiana, elected officials who represented their views. Later on, in 1873, the representatives were murdered by the white vigilantes in Colfax on Easter Sunday. This indicates how the American politics were encompassed by an explosive mix of democracy and terror.
What comes to mind when you think of the Black Panther Party? Do you even know who the Black Panthers really were? They helped transform the lives of many African Americans in the U.S and helped empower the community. The Black Panther has a huge background of history, goals, and beliefs. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale from Oakland, California founded the Panthers in 1966. Initially, they were an African American self defense force and were highly influenced by Malcolm X’s beliefs. The Panthers had many goals such as;freedom, protecting blacks from police brutality, and helping African Americans obtain a jobs. Despite the negative stereotypes of the Black Panthers as people who ran around with guns, fighting police, they were a major group during the Civil Rights Movement because they practiced self defense, established revolutionary socialism, and stimulated Malcolm X's influence. In the following I will discuss the successful changes the Black Panther Party, had on the African American community during the civil rights movement.