Malcolm X and The Black Power

Question 1

Malcolm Little

Answer 1

Born 1925 in Omaha, father minister, both parents hugely part of CRM
KKK harassed his family and eventually burned down family home
Malcolm’s father died rumours of KKK involvement
Malcolm’s mother became mentally ill and Malcolm in care. ‘All Negroes are angry and i am the angriest of all.’
Malcolm told by English teacher he wouldn’t become a lawyer not suitable for a ‘black man.’
Involved in crime after leaving school, sentenced to 10 years in prison where he spoke to Elijah Muhammad leader of Nation of Islam

Question 2

Malcolm X and Nation of Islam

Answer 2

Converted to Islam in prison and joined Nation of Islam, believed blacks superior and whites ‘devils’
Malcolm left prison 1952 began preaching message. Opened a temple in Boston
He encouraged to get rid of last name as correlates with slave traders, disagreed with MLK as did not believe peace: ‘Get angry’ ‘send them to a cemetery.’

Question 3

Change of heart and assassination:

Answer 3

Malcolm disillusioned by Nation formed own group the Muslim Mosque inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. 1964 visited Muslim countries and changed is name
Opinions of white people changed due to travels believed now all men equal
Nation of Islam angry with Malcolm’s new stance. Received death threats and travelled to Britain due to this.
February 1965 house firebombed, all escaped unharmed
Malcolm week later made speech in NYC was shot 16 times by three members of NOI= died

Question 4

Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Answer 4

Created 1960 racially integrated committee inspired by Greensboro sit ins and MLK and CORE
Believed non-violent action and took training to deal with abuse
Primary goal- black voters increased in South
SNCC took non-violent protests to potentially violent areas to step up from MLK’s camaign
Founded by Ella Barker with help from SLCC committee later led by more radical Stokely Carmichael

Question 5

SNCC Involvement in Civil Rights

Answer 5

1961- Pushed heavily for Voting Rights
Educating black population and established Freedom Schools to teach children to stand for their rights
SNCC played significant role in the 1963 Washington March

Question 6

SNCC ideology shift

Answer 6

SNCC became disillusioned with non violent approach of other movements
SNCC had endured violence during Freedom Rides 1961 and Freedom Summer 1964
Only those who could afford bail a part of the movement

Question 7

1965 and rise of Stokely Carmichael

Answer 7

SNCC becoming skeptical of non violence- party split into two groups of non violence and one of Black power and Marxism
Carmichael’s saw no sense in why can’t fight for the vote only to then be forced to vote for white supremacist’s

Question 8

BLACK POWER CARDS

Question 9

Birth of Black Power

Answer 9

Events in 1966 pushed Carmichael to be more radical
Appealed to CRM to remove its association with white campaigners and become purely black
Replaced civil rights slogan with ‘Black Power.’ Fist symbol
Turning point in CRM and placed division between non-violent/violent protesters

Question 10

Principles of Black Power:

Answer 10

Rejection of non-violence.
MLK was the tool of the white man.
Do not want white people in the CRM.
Black Supremacy.
Fair implementation of the law.
Equal employment rights.
Radical social change, especially in housing and education.

Question 11

Black Power and Black Panthers

Answer 11

After 1965 no CRM marches- all worked together
Black Panthers did community work such as working with schools, providing food for children however militant and wore uniforms and carried firearms and gained them most governmental attention
Support Fidel Castro
Caused a shoot out with police in Oakland 1967 after assassinated

Question 12

Black Power Legacy

Answer 12

End to job discrimination, and lower pay, as well as an emphasis on black university staff and courses in black history, became prominent.
The Black Power movement also radicalized (to some extent) the thinking of other civil rights movements, including the NAACP. Even if the NAACP would not adopt the more militant methods, they did start to advocate the ‘we want action now’ approach.
Overall, the success of Black Power was a much more local affair

Question 13

The work done by the NAACP and the SCLC may have taken a much longer route but due to the non-violent nature of their protests they had gained significant white support , the rise of Black Power threatened this.
In 1964, riots broke out in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. turned out to be extremely significant as government intervention to calm the violence was now acceptable
The media also changed its angle. publishing white brutality on innocent non-violent blacks, replaced instead with black militants holding petrol bombs and fighting back.
Though this media portrayal actually helped the black movement in a federal sense, it also brought with it a considerable level of white backlash.