Black Panther Party For Self Defense example essay topic

The Black Panthers [also known as] (The Black Panther Party for Self Defense) was a Black Nationalist organization in the United States that formed in the late 1960's and became nationally renowned. (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 1997). The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by party members Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in the city of Oakland, California. The party was established to help further the movement for African American liberation, which was growing rapidly throughout the sixties because of the civil rights movement and the work of Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King. The Party disembodied itself from the non-violence stance of Dr. King and chose to organize around a platform for "self-defense", (which later became part of the party's original name). As a Marxist-Leninist The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by party members The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by party members The party was established to help further the movement for African American liberation, which was growing rapidly throughout the sixties because of the civil rights movement and the work of Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King.

As a Marxist-Leninist organization and worked with many white activist organizations (for example, California's Peace and Freedom Party). The Black Panthers name was derived from The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or SNCC, pronounced 'snick'), while working to register voters in Lowndes county, Alabama. Following the success of the Mississippi Freedom Party, organizers worked to create the Lowndes County Freedom Organization as an independent party. At the time, it was required that all organizational parties have visual emblem for [non-educated] voters. The SNCC contacted a designer in Atlanta for logo. The designer first choice was dove, but the workers of SNCC thought that it was too gentle, so the finally the designer suggested that the organization use the mascot of Clark Atlanta College, The Black Panther.

Thus, the Freedom Party). Thus, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization became The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, and soon the parties were founded all across the nation. Many of these parties were unconnected to the SNCC. On April 25, 1967, the first issue of The Black Panther, the party official news organ, [was distributed]. In the following month thereafter, the party launches a march on the California state capital fully armed, in protest of the state's attempt to band the possession of loaded weapons in public.

Bobby Seale proceeded to read a statement of protest; while the authorities responded by arresting him and all thirty armed Panthers as well. This act of political recalcitrance only prompted minorities further into initiating new Panther chapters outside the state of California. The Black Panthers based their agenda around a Ten Point Plan a document that was mainly used by the party, and its distribution played a major role in the party's method propaganda, education, and recruitment. We hold these to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and, accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But, when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

(Newton, 1980). In addition to party's foundation of the Ten Point Plan, The Black Panther's participated in a variety of community based programs, in the Oakland area, including a sickle-cell anemia testing program, free clinics, and food distribution. The most popular and successful however, was The Free Breakfast for Children Program, which fed thousands of children throughout the party's history. Although this was far most successful of their programs, the Black Panthers provided a number of other free services that included, free clothing, free classes on politics and economics, free medical clinics, free lessons on self-defense and first aid, free transportation to upstate prisons for families of inmates... The party also [strive d] to end drug use within African American community, by disrupting the operation of drug dealers, distributing anti-drug fly ers, and setting up community drug rehabilitation programs. Thus, the Black Panthers sparked an array of community activity; most of their involvement was mainly in political events as well, one in which founder Bobby Seale was actually indicted for his participation in the protest during the Democratic National Convention in 1969.

The Black Panther may have stoked a positive image on the African American community however; their involvement sparked a negative impact with the federal government. The Black Panther was often targeted by The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for their political activities in the movement for liberation. The FBI's agenda at that time was to disrupt their activity and dissolve the party. The FBI achieved most of their goals by establishing COINTELPRO, by using a combination of infiltration, public propaganda, and starting rivalries within the party. The most successful venture was on December 4, 1969, when the FBI and Chicago police raided the home of party member Fred Hampton. The party was infiltrated and drugged by then said FBI informant William O Neal, and were asleep at the time of the raid.

Hampton was shot and killed, along with another member Mark Clark. The others in the home were dragged into the street and beaten and were subsequently charged with assault. These charges were later dismissed. The law always seemed to affiliate the group with endless prosecutions, shootouts, assassinations, investigations, and numerous dirty plots. The Black Party eventually fell apart due to the FBI's systematic attempts to disassemble the party. Due to major financial dilemmas, some members went on to join another group called the Liberation Army, whiles others subdued themselves to enact a pro-peace philosophy, and others were incarcerated (As sata Shakur, Sundiota A coli, Afe ni Shakur).

On the contrary, even though the old Black Panther Party was actually diminished due to antics by the federal government, a group calling themselves the New Black Panther emerged from the Nation of Islam decades after of the original Black Panthers. A new National Alliance of Black Panthers was formed on July 31, 2004, and is said to be inspired by the grassroots activism of the original organization, but is not related. RefrencesThe Black Panther Party. (1997). Marxists. org Webpage.

Retreived June 11, 2005 from: web USA Archives. (1969). Marxists. org Webpage. Retreived June 11, 2005 from: web.