21 slids

1. Objectives
TSW:
1) Understand how disagreements among civil rights groups created a
violent period in the fight for civil rights.
2) Explain the difference in the teachings and tactics of Dr. King, Malcolm
X, and the Black Panthers.

2. CIVIL RIGHTS
“It is criminal to teach a man not to defend
himself when he is the constant victim of
brutal attacks…The time has come for the
American Negro to fight back in self-
defense whenever he is being unjustly and
unlawfully attacked.”
Malcolm X

3. Early Life of Malcolm Little
• Malcolm’s father was a major
follower of Marcus Garvey
• Because of this, he and his
family were targeted by white
supremacists called the Black
Legion
• The family had to move around
a lot because of threats
• The Little’s home was burned to
the ground and Malcolm’s
father was found dead on the
trolley tracks
• Ruled accidents

4. Criminal Conviction
• Malcom’s mother suffered a
mental break down and his
family was split up
• Malcom and his close friend
moved to Boston where
they were convicted of
burglary
• Malcom was sentenced to
10 years but was paroled
after 7

5. Conversion
• While in prison, one of
Malcolm’s brothers would
visit and tell him about his
conversion to Islam and the
Nation of Islam (NOI)
• Elijah Muhammad was the
head of NOI –black Muslims
• Believed that white society
actively worked against the
empowerment and success
of the black population

6. Malcolm X
• Malcolm changed his
name to “X” believing
that “Little” was a slave
name, while “X” stood for
his lost tribal name
• Malcolm’s teachings:
1) Whites were to blame for
the black man’s social
problems.
2) Black Separatism: Blacks
should separate from
white society . Quit trying
to act like the white man!
3) African-Americans should
have pride in their
identity and culture.

7. Change in Belief
• Malcolm broke from Elijah Muhammad in March
1964 after finding out that Elijah was using his
status to have affairs with several women
• In April 1964 Malcolm took a pilgrimage to
Mecca and learned that orthodox Muslims
believe in equality of all races.
• He met “blonde-haired, blued-eyed men I could
call my brothers”
• Malcolm returned to America and radically
changes his teachings: it is ok to hate racism and
injustice, but it is wrong to hate the white race.

8. Assassination
• The FBI had infiltrated the
NOI
• They warned that there
was an assassination plan
on Malcolm
• Malcolm started traveling
with bodyguards
• February 14, 1965 his
home was fire bombed
which his whole family
survived
• On February 21, 1965
while giving a speech,
three gunmen walked
onto stage and shot him
15 times

9. Stokely Carmichael
• Influential leader of
SNCC was arrested on
June 17, 1966 for
setting up a tent on
the grounds of an all
black high school for
an overnight
demonstration.
• This was his 27th
arrest!

10. Black Power
• That night marchers
held a rally to show
their support for
Carmichael.
• Carmichael showed up
at the end of the rally
with his face swollen
from a police beating.
• Carmichael began
preaching “Black
Power.”

11. Black Power
• “This is the 27th time I have been arrested-and I
ain’t going to jail no more!…We been saying
freedom for 6 years-and we ain’t got nothin’.
What we’re gonna start saying now is BLACK
POWER.”
• Militants: Black people should make their own
goals and lead their own organizations. He didn’t
want any more help from white people in
achieving equality.
• Perceived message: Many people, especially
whites, thought he was encouraging an armed
and violent revolution.

12. Black Power Olympics Salute
• John Carlos and Tommie
Smith, 200 meter Gold
and Silver medalists,
showed their support
for civil rights by giving
the black power salute.
Smith later said he was
doing it for human
rights, not just black
power.

13. BLACK PANTHER PARTY

14. Black Panthers
• In October 1966, Huey
Newton and Bobby
Seale formed the Black
Panther Party in
Oakland, CA to fight
police brutality in the
ghetto.
• The Black Panthers
began to preach many
of the violent ideas of
the Black Muslims.

15. Black Panthers
• To raise money for their
organization they sold copies of
the writings of Mao Zedong,
leader of the Chinese Communist
revolution.
• Slogan: “Power flows out of the
barrel of a gun.”

16. Black Panthers
• Members of the
Black Panthers
wore black berets,
sunglasses, black
leather jackets,
black trousers,
black shirts, and
shiny black shoes.

17. “PowerflowsfromtheBarrelofaGun”

18. Black Panther Teachings
1) “Program for the People”- taking control of the communities in
which African-Americans lived, full employment, and decent housing.
2) Established day care centers, free breakfast programs and other
services in the ghettos.
3) See 10 point document.
http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-
panthers/1966/10/15.htm

19. Black Panthers
• Stokely Carmichael joined the
Black Panther Party in 1967.
• The police and FBI had many
shoot outs with the Panthers
throughout the years.
• Newton was arrested in 1968
on manslaughter charges, but
was released in 1970 when it
was found that police illegally
tapped his phone lines and
searched his property.

20. Black Panthers
• By 1970 the Party had
split so many times due to
internal problems that it
became ineffective.
• Carmichael left the party
because he wanted all
whites banned from it.
• Seale and Newton
resigned in the same year.
The party continued for a
short time under new
leadership providing
service projects in the
ghettos.

21. Study Questions: Malcolm X
1) What was Malcolm X’s real last name AND why did he change it?
2) Who converted Malcolm X to the Black Muslims?
3) List 2 controversial teachings of Malcolm’s prior to his pilgrimage to
Mecca.
4) What was Malcolm’s new slogan after returning from Mecca?
5) What happened to James Meredith during his “walk against fear?”
6) Why did Stokely Carmichael decide to preach Black Power?
7) What was the goal of Core and SNCC workers in Mississippi during
Freedom Summer?
8) What teachings did the Black Panthers follow?
9) What was the purpose of the 10 point document?
10) Why did Stokely Carmichael leave the Black Panthers?