Black Power Flashcards
Malcolm X background
Born may 1925 as Malcolm little
His father, a Baptist minister, was murdered when he was 6
Mother put her children into foster homes
Malcolm X arrest
1946- arrested for burglary and joined the NOI (Nation of Islam) while he was there.
NOI beliefs
Believed that white people deliberately held back black people and that black people needed their own state; black people should live and work in black communities, pressing for civil rights and not trying to integrate.
Against nonviolent direct action and wanted to retaliate to white violence
Malcolm X’s name
Changed his last name to X instead of slave name “little”. X for the unknown tribe of his ancestors.
NOI after Malcolm left prison
Malcolm became a NOI minister, and then it’s spokesman.
1952 it had 500 members and by 1963 it had 30,000 possibly due to Malcolm’s campaigning.
He believed that civil rights advancements so far weren’t good enough and that all white people saw all black people as second class.
Muslim Mosque inc
Founded by Malcolm X in 1964 after leaving NOI (who now spoke against him and sent him death threats)
He pilgrimaged to Mecca and returned with a view that he should accept integration and white help
Organisation of African American Unity
Set up by Malcolm X after his pilgrimage and worked with other civil rights groups with significant white memberships
NOI reaction to changes in Malcolm X’s beliefs
Became determined to kill him, they:
-Firebombed his house several times
-He had to travel with body guards
-eventually murdered him
Malcolm X’s death, funeral and legacy
21 Feb 1965, Malcolm X made a speech in New York and 3 NOI members rushed the stage and shot him 15 times
27th Feb 15,000 attend his funeral
His earlier views were remembered more than those post 1964
Black power
From 1963, more black people disagreed with non violent direct action.
Black power:
-Encouraged black people to be proud of their heritage
-reject help from white people
-argued against integration
Economic factors in black power’s growth
Some civil rights activists switched to tackling poverty and unemployment instead
Bad living conditions in ghettos
Political factors in black power’s growth
Non violent direct action had supposedly done as much as it could’ve
Less change in the south (segregation and voting problems)
Civil rights protestors had shifted focus onto the Vietnam war
Cultural factors in black power’s growth
Black people wanted to be proud of their race and roots
Stokely Carmichael
Argued that:
White people need to “civilise themselves”
Education allowe some black people to succeed to keep others down
Vietnam draft selected a disproportionate number of black men to white men
SNCC after voting rights act
SNCC continued helping people register to vote. Many felt as if there was nobody to vote for who cared about black rights
