the black power movement essay grade 12

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Gr. 12 HISTORY REVISION: THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

REVISION: THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

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Course: US history > Unit 8

Introduction to the Civil Rights Movement
African American veterans and the Civil Rights Movement
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Emmett Till
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
"Massive Resistance" and the Little Rock Nine
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
SNCC and CORE

Black Power

The Civil Rights Movement

“Black Power” refers to a militant ideology that aimed not at integration and accommodation with white America, but rather preached black self-reliance, self-defense, and racial pride.
Malcolm X was the most influential thinker of what became known as the Black Power movement, and inspired others like Stokely Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party.
The Black Panther Party in Oakland, California, operated as both a black self-defense militia and a provider of services to the black community.

The origins of Black Power

Malcolm x and the nation of islam, the black panther party, the black panther party for self-defense ten-point platform and program.

We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community.
We want full employment for our people.
We want an end to the robbery by the white men of our Black Community.
We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings.
We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present day society.
We want all Black men to be exempt from military service.
We want an immediate end to POLICE BRUTALITY and MURDER of Black people.
We want freedom for all Black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails.
We want all Black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their Black Communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States.
We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace.

What do you think?

Quoted in John Hope Franklin and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans (New York: McGraw Hill, 2011), 551.
Richard Wright, Black Power: An American Negro Views the African Gold Coast (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1954).
For more, see Brenda Gayle Plummer, In Search of Power: African Americans in the Era of Decolonization, 1956-1974 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013).
For more on Malcolm X, see James L. Conyers, Jr. and Andrew P. Smallwood, eds. Malcolm X: A Historical Reader (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2008).
Malcolm X and Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, (New York: Grove Press, 1965).
Franklin and Higginbotham, From Slavery to Freedom , 557-558.
For more on the Black Panthers, see Donna Jean Murch, Living for the City: Migration, Education, and the Rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2010); and Joshua Bloom & Waldo E. Martin, Jr., Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013).
Franklin and Higginbotham, From Slavery to Freedom , 561. See also Ward Churchill & Jim Vanderwall, The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI’s Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States (Boston, MA: South End Press, 1990).

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Grade 12 History Essay: Black Power Movement USA

Subject: History

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

13 February 2024

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The Black Power Movement Essay explores the historical and social significance of the Black Power Movement that emerged in the 1960s. This essay examines the key ideologies, leaders, and activities that shaped the movement and analyzes its impact on the African American community and the broader civil rights movement.

The essay begins by providing a brief overview of the historical context in which the Black Power Movement emerged, including the Civil Rights Movement and the socio-political climate of the time. It then delves into the core principles of the movement, such as self-determination, racial pride, and the rejection of nonviolence as the sole strategy for achieving racial equality.

The essay explores the influential figures within the Black Power Movement, including Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis, and Huey P. Newton. It discusses their roles as leaders and their contributions to the movement’s ideology and activism. Additionally, the essay highlights significant events and organizations associated with the movement, such as the Black Panther Party and the National Black Power Conferences.

Furthermore, the essay examines the impact of the Black Power Movement on the African American community and the broader civil rights movement. It analyzes how the movement challenged traditional civil rights strategies and redefined notions of Black identity and empowerment. The essay also discusses the movement’s influence on subsequent activist movements and its lasting legacy in contemporary social and political discourse.

Overall, the Black Power Movement Essay provides a comprehensive analysis of this significant chapter in American history, shedding light on its ideologies, leaders, impact, and lasting relevance in the fight for racial justice and equality.

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Black Power Movement in America Essay (Critical Writing)

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In America, the beginning of the 1960s was characterized by a number of political and civil movements that were aimed at providing the Black people with rights, freedoms, and opportunities. Regarding the thoughts developed by Malcolm X and Mr. King and the outcomes of their murders, many people did not want to accept the fact that a Black man should not have the rights to power.

The fact that a Black man was deprived of power made people believe that they deserved that right and that they had all possibilities to achieve power and use it as they wished. Black Americans were constantly oppressed, and protests and revolutions turned out to be the only chance to change the situation. Though many Whites admitted that the Blacks promoted hate as the only weapon to demonstrate their intentions ( Eyes on the Prize ), the participants refused that idea underlining that the only strong desire they have is “to live with hope and human dignity that existence without them is impossible” (Newton 5).

The Black Power movement helped to provide people with a sense of racial pride. People had not to be afraid of the color of their skin. All they had to do was to comprehend that the white color is not better than the black color, and there was no person, who could give a clear explanation of why racial diversity should be developed in favor of the Whites. There were a number of attempts to prove the worth of the black nation, and the creation of the Black Panther Party was one of the brightest achievements in the middle of the 1960s.

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were the founders of the party when they came to the conclusion that there was no other way to deal with white shotguns that spread fear among ordinary black citizens and the instability that deprived people of hope. The idea to create a new political party that could be legally approved was based on casual discussions and conversations (Newton 111). People were in need of something more than the white rooster that represented the Democratic Party, and the elephant that represented the Republican Party.

Now, it was a black cat that spoke for all Black communities ( Eyes on the Prize ). The ideas offered by the Black Panther Party were impressive. It was not enough for them to ask for freedoms, education, employment, etc. It was necessary to prove that the Black community was not worse for the communities organized by the white people, and certain systematic changes were necessary for America.

A ten-point program was developed by the representatives of the Black Panther Party within the frames of which the main ideas and intentions of the Black community were identified. One of the most interesting ideas was the necessity to deal with police brutality and murders of Black people (Newton 120). The organization of self-defense groups was the decision that proved the importance of patrolling.

According to the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, people had the right to bear arms, and Newton used that opportunity to help the Black people protect themselves against the police as “it was ridiculous to report the police to the police, but… by raising encounters to a higher level, by patrolling the police with arms, we would see a change in their behavior” (120). These were the first steps that helped to realize that the Black people could do a lot of things to improve their lives in case they did everything on their own.

Works Cited

Eyes on the Prize . Ex. Prod. Henry Hampton. Boston: Blackside, 1987-1990. Web.

Newton, Huey, P. Revolutionary Suicide , New York: Writers and Readers Publishing, 1995. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2020, September 26). Black Power Movement in America. https://ivypanda.com/essays/black-power-movement-in-america/

"Black Power Movement in America." IvyPanda , 26 Sept. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/black-power-movement-in-america/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Black Power Movement in America'. 26 September.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Black Power Movement in America." September 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/black-power-movement-in-america/.

1. IvyPanda . "Black Power Movement in America." September 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/black-power-movement-in-america/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Black Power Movement in America." September 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/black-power-movement-in-america/.

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CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE 1970s: BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

Explain to what extent did Black Power Movement influence the actions of African Americans in the 1960s. Use relevant examples to support your line of argument.

[Plan and construct an original argument based on relevant evidence using analytical and interpretative skills.]

Candidates should indicate to what extent the Black Power Movement influenced the actions of African Americans in the 1960s. Candidates should use relevant examples to support their line of argument.

MAIN ASPECTS

Candidates should include the following aspects in their response:

Introduction: Candidates should indicate to what extent the Black Power Movement influenced the actions of African Americans in the 1960s.

ELABORATION

Origins of the Movement:

The Black Power Movement came out of dissatisfaction with the Civil Rights Movements.
The Civil Rights Movement had focused on black and white Americans working together but inequalities remained. African Americans still faced poverty and racial discrimination.
Some African American were disappointed with the Civil Rights Movement and believed that King was too moderate
They wanted change in the USA to happen faster and they were prepared to use violence to do this.
Black Power Movement promoted black pride, unity and self- reliance
Black nationalists believed that the use of force was justified in order to gain social, political and economic power for Black Americans

Role of Malcolm X:

Malcolm X, leading figure in the Black Power Movement, powerful speaker and dedicated human rights activist
In 1952 he became a leading member of the nation of Islam, a black Muslim group which believed that white society was holding African Americans back and they desired separation of races
Eloquence and charisma attracted many new members to this organisation membership grew from 500 in 1952 to 30 000 in 1963
Promoted the use of violence to achieve the aims of Black Power
Challenged the peaceful approach of Martin Luther King Jnr
After a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1963-1964, Malcolm X changed his ideas about integration as he had seen how Muslims of all nationalities and races could live together peacefully
Founded the Organisation of Afro-American unity in 1964. He became less militant and adopted views that were not popular with black nationalists

The Black Panther

Huey Newton and Bobby Searle formed the Black Panther Party (BPP) for Self Defence in 1966
They aimed to protect African American neighbourhoods from police brutality and racism
The Black Panthers promoted African Americans carrying guns to defend themselves
The idea of Black Power scared many white Americans
The BPP started programmes to help ease poverty in Black communities such as Free Breakfast for Children, feeding thousands of poor and hungry black children everyday
Clinics where adults and children could get free medical care
A tutoring scheme to help black children succeed at school
The BPP drew up a ten-point programme that included the following demands:
Full employment and an end to capitalism that preyed on the African American community
Descent housing and education for African Americans
An end to police brutality
The Black panthers were very popular in the 1960s as they were involved in defending the rights of both workers and ethnic minorities like the African American communities in the ghettoes

The role of Stokely Carmichael

Stokely Carmichael joined the Civil Rights Movement when he saw the bravery of those involved in a sit-in
Became a member of SNCC and a Freedom Rider
His commitment to Martin Luther King’s passive resistance ideals changed in 1966 after James Meredith, a civil rights activist engaged in a peaceful protest march, was shot
Carmichael and other activists continued on the march to honour Meredith and during the march he was arrested
When he was released from jail, Carmichael made a famous speech using the term ‘Black Power’ for the first time and he urged African Americans to take pride in being black
He was in favour of African dress and Afro hairstyles
He wanted African Americans to recognise their heritage and build a sense of community
He also adopted the slogan ‘Black is beautiful’ which promoted pride in being black
Carmichael started to criticise other leaders, like King, and how they wanted to work with whites
He later left the SNCC and joined the BPP where he promoted the Black Power Movement as a leader, speaker and writer
He later wrote a book linking Black Power to Pan-Africanism
Any other relevant answer Conclusion: Candidates should tie up their argument with relevant conclusion

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