How Did The Black Panther Party Influence The Civil Rights Movement

In Oakland, California in October of 1966 Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale what was known as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Newton and Seale were two African-American activists. It began as poor black people from the same community joining together and entwining in the same ideology. The Black Panther Party is considered the first organization in the history United States of America, to struggle militantly exert oneself for ethnic minority and working-class famishment. Bobby Hutton, seventeen years of age at the time was the first person to agglutinate himself as a Black Panther, aside Newton and Seale.

     The Black Panther had a huge background of history, goals, and beliefs. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, Ca 1966, founded the Panthers. They were originally as an African American self defense force and were highly influenced by Malcolm X’s ideas. They were named after Lowndes County Freedom Organization or LCFO. The Panthers had many goals like; giving back to the ghetto, protecting blacks from police brutality, and to help blacks get freedom and jobs. They also had many beliefs like;

The Black Panther Party was formed on October of 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. The Panthers had a very important part in the civil rights movement. The Black Panthers favored aggression, violent self defense of minority communities against the U.S government. The Panthers saw that Martin Luther King’s non-violence was not successful. The party fought to engage in a political revolution for socialism by organized and community based programs. The party agenda was to promote political equality across gender and color. They were active in the United States from 1966 until 1982. The Black Panther Party patrol black neighborhoods to keep track of police activities and protect the residents from police brutality.

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.

Imagine it is the 1960’s: conflict in Vietnam had sparked widespread protest at American college campuses, people all over the country were reading the The Feminine Mystique and fighting for increased equality among the sexes, and the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak. African Americans throughout America were uniting for the common cause of equality, however differing ideology and beliefs regarding how equality could be achieved divided them. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X rose as prominent leaders in the fight against racial inequality, the latter typically credited with the development of more violent methodology which excluded white involvement and conceived the movement of “Black Power.” The Black Panthers, members of a political party formed by college students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966, are typically associated with the idea of black power and the legacy of Malcolm X despite the fact that he had died a year prior to the party’s founding. While the idea of black power is easily and mis-conceivably associated with the idea of black supremacy and violence, The Black Panther Party primarily sought a spot for African Americans next to that of whites, not above. The Black Panther Party, despite its violent appearance and legacy, made a positive influence on American history through its platform based on equality, human rights, and patriotism.

The black panther party formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale was a revolutionary power unlike any other group in the 60s. They formed a militant to protect the black community after witnessing countless racial attacks and prejudice. The group was famous for there anything go’s thinking including violence against police brutality which was common even after the civil act laws took effect. They also installed programs

The Black Panthers were formed in California in 1966 and they played a short but important part in the civil rights movement by gathering African Americans and uniting them together so they can fight for what they believe in. The Black Panthers believed that the non-violent campaign of Martin Luther King Had failed and any proposed changes to their lifestyle via the ‘traditional’ civil rights movement, would take too long to be implemented or simply not introduced. The two founders of the Black Panther Party were Huey Percy Newton and Bobby Seale. They preached for a “revolutionary war” but their party was believed to be African-American and they were willing to speak out for all those who were oppressed from whatever minority group. However, the Black Panthers were generally targeted by the FBI and they used dirty tactics such as forging letters to provoke conflict between the BPP’s leaders; organising the murders of BPP leaders initiating a “Black Propaganda” campaign to convince the public that the BPP was a threat to national security. “Carmichael is adamantly against allowing whites into the black liberation movement, explaining whites cannot relate to black experience and have an intimidating effect on blacks." Carmichael is a Black Panther. He did not want whites in the Party because he felt they

The Black Panther Party, originally named “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense”, is an African American revolutionary party (BBP Britannica). This party was founded in Oakland, California in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Their original

The Black Panther Party formed as a result of Black Nationalism which came from a multitude of events that began to form decades before any mention of The Black Panther Party. To even begin to understand a group such as this, one must first attempt to grasp the historical context which lies behind them. Blake (1969) asserts that the initial onset began back in 1619 when the first of the colonial settlers accepted a number of captured Africans which were to be used as servants leading to the period of slavery which serves as a sore spot in this country 's history. One of the primary streams of thought behind this idea of Black Nationalism can be summed up as the hypocrisy felt by African-Americans during the era of slavery as well as after it 's end. These are a race of people characterized by their looks and were not given the same rights within the society, yet at the same time, were expected to meet the standards of “regular” citizens within the country creating that sense of inferiority.

Section Three Chapter One The Black Panther Party, Fighting For African American Rights The Black Panther Party used any means necessary to improve the lives of Black People. During October 1966, in Oakland California, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. Seale and Newton first met at Merritt Community College.

Next, the Black Panther Party provided a variety of social services and programs designed to meet the needs of the black community. Often times overlooked, these services have been virtually absent in the mainstream media’s coverage of the Panthers. Often times “the government’s myopic perception of the party as a glorified street gang, clouded substantial analysis of their social programs by outside observers” (Kirby). The Panthers were known to offer a “wide range of health and social services as part of its survival programs, including free breakfast programs for school children and food aid for families; schools, adult education, and childcare; medical care, medical research, and ambulance services; cooperative housing; employment assistance; free shoes and clothing; free plumbing, home maintenance, and pest control; and protective escort for the elderly” (Pope and Flanigan).For the Black Panthers, the periods of 1968 to 1971 ushered in a positive period where Panther-initiated social programs and services, not only blossomed, but thrived all over the country (Kirby).

The recollection of the Black Panther Party’s legacy more than often remains to linger on in the collective memory as a group of armed leather- clad radicals of the 1960’s. Although this memory is true, the Black Panther Party in actuality had more substance than just their attire. They were a political organization that reinforced human rights, they were leaders of self-defense against a police state that relentlessly brutalized black bodies, and caretakers of poor black communities that were receiving little to no attention by the state. They were an organization in bloom looking to create solidarity and heal within the black community by whatever means necessary. The Black Panther Party is believed to be a revolutionary force that has helped shape movements of today. Within this analysis we would like to unearth the history of the Black Panther Party including its origins, their struggles, ultimate demise, and contributions to movements of the contemporary world. We feel that it is important to rediscover this information because most of the occurrences that had appeared in the 1960’s against black bodies continues to this day. It is our duty to learn from our teachers, like those members of the Black Panther Party, in order to educate ourselves on how to create a better future. It all started in the fall of 1966 in Oakland California when two young intelligent black male students of Merritt Junior College questioned America’s ethics. These two young

In the mid-1960s, Newton attended Merritt College, where he met Bobby Seale. The two radical thinkers were ready to spread their message with a show of force. They began by making national news through protesting a gun bill on April 25th, 1967 by entering the California Legislature fully armed. Newton emerged as a leading figure in the black militant movement and The Panthers were instantly notorious. By the end of 1968 seventeen Panther chapters had opened across the country and thousands of members joined (Wasserman, Steve). Later that year Newton was arrested for allegedly killing an Oakland police officer, he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to two to 15 years in prison. Growing support from across the nation of Black Panthers sparked a “Free Huey” movement which helped Newton’s cause. The case was eventually dismissed after two retrials ended with a hung jury. Newton was greeted by thousands who came to show support outside of the prison.

After the creation of the Ku Klux Klan, one of the most vicious and racist groups that the United States has ever seen, a new group was formed to counteract their hatred: the Black Panther Party. In October of 1966, the leaders of this group, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton of Marrit College in Oakland, California, saw the Civil Rights movement as being too passive and decided to form a more reactionary group, to combat the racism and oppression that they experienced in Oakland (Ware, par. 1-2). Eventually, the group evolved into one that emphasized “black love” and programs to better their community. Stereotypically, the Black Panther Party is associated with violence, almost to the same level as the KKK. This is due to the fact that they sought to protect their communities from racists via an armory of guns and weapons in their homes. Also, the symbol of the Black Panther Party is a black man with a gun,

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.