The Black Power Movement (AQA GCSE History)

What Impact did the Black Power Movement have? - Summary 

The Black Power Movement of the 1960s and 1970s encouraged Black pride, self-sufficiency, and new political and cultural organisations within the African- American community. It also provided an alternative for those who were disillusioned by the slow progress of the heavily focused Southern Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. 

However, the radical features of the movement inspired violence, which resulted in a backlash from some African- Americans, politicians, and white Americans. Many have accused the Black Power Movement of slowing down the progress and achievements of the Civil Rights period. 

Despite the negative attention of the Black Power Movement, many historians believe the media coverage at the time misrepresented the movement and ultimately created fear, which prevented the achievement of many of the key aims. 

What Caused the Black Power Movement?

• The Black Power Movement has existed  since the nineteenth century 

• In the 1960s, the Black Power Movement reemerged due to several factors, including:

  • The problems of ghettos in the North, West, and Midwest which were unchanged by the Civil Rights movement

    • Only 32% of African- Americans finished high school 

    • Approximately,46% of African- Americans were unemployed 

  • Attempts by Martin Luther King to help were unsuccessful as King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  knew very little about ghetto life in these areas

  • Many African- Americans, especially in the North, were becoming frustrated by the slow progress of Martin Luther King's nonviolent movement 

Stokely Carmichael & SNCC

Stokely Carmichael & SNCC

• In 1966, Stokley Carmichael became the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) as the organisation wanted a more militant leader

• SNCC became disillusioned with the nonviolent movement after the lack of: 

  • Protection from the police during the Missippi Freedom of Summer 

  • Economic improvements in the ghettos 

• In 1966, the SNCC under the leadership of Carmichael adopted the slogan “Black is beautiful” and started to encourage their supporters to: 

  • Reject help from white people

  • Take responsibility for their own lives 

  • Work together to overcome economic issues

  • Dress in traditional African forms of dress

  • Promote Black pride 

  • Take pride in their heritage

• In 1969, Carmichael left SNCC as he faced criticism for his comments about the Vietnam War and had become involved with the Black Panthers 

The March Against Fear, 1966

• On June 5th, 1966, James Meredith started a march from Memphis, Tennesse to Jackson, Mississippi 

• This 3-week long march was created to: 

  • Promote African-American voter registration 

  • Protest against racism 

• On the second day of the march, Meredith was shot by an unknown sniper

• Meredith’s shooting led Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, and Floyd McKissaick to take over the leadership of the march

• By the end of the march, approximately 15,000 people marched into Jackson, Mississippi

• During the March Against Fear, Carmicheal delivered his famous “Black Power” speech where he told African- Americans to 

The Mexico Olympics, 1968 & the Black Power Salute

• On October 16th, 1989, Tommie Smith and John Carlos received gold and bronze medals at the 200-meter victory ceremony 

• During the delivery of the national anthem, both African- American athletes raised a black-gloved fist in protest over the lack of access to

  • Good housing 

  • Top US colleges  

Who Were the Black Panthers?

• The Black Panthers were created in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale 

• The Black Panthers were inspired by

  • Malcolm X 

  • Communist revolutionaries such as Che Guevara and Mao Zedong 

• The Black Panthers Ten-Point Plan manifesto outlined the party's aims 

 Impact of the Black Panthers

• The Black Panthers had a positive impact on many African-American communities as they

  • Created ghetto clinics to advise African-Americans on their legal rights and health

  • Decreased gang violence in ghettos 

  • Created education programs on African-American history

  • Created a Free Breakfast program in the ghettos 

• However, their impact was reduced as the Black Panthers

  • Encouraged the right to carry arms, leading to shoot-outs in ghettos

  • Encouraged violent actions such as

    • The storming of government buildings 

    • Blowing up department stores 

  • Were viewed by any white Americans as:

    • Violent

    • Dangerous

    • Radical

  • Leader, Huey Newton, was arrested for murder in 1967

• The Black Panther's involvement in the Black Power Movement declined as they were:

  • Targeted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 

  • Regularly involved in petty crime

  • Had members who were killed, imprisoned, or in exile