Pages 47-48 of USA A5 booklet (Malcolm X and the Black Power Movement)

Question 1

What was black nationalism?

Answer 1

Black nationalism was a movement which rejected the non-violence of the civil rights movement and felt that force was necessary in order to achieve equality for black Americans.

Question 2

Who did the Nation of Islam attract?

Answer 2

The Nation of Islam attracted some black Americans who were frustrated with the lack of progress by the peaceful protest movement.

Question 3

Who headed the Nation of Islam?

Answer 3

Elijah Muhammad.

Question 4

Who was a member of the Nation of Islam?

Answer 4

One famous member was the boxer Cassius Clay who changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

Question 5

Who was another member of the Nation of Islam?

Answer 5

Another follower of the movement was Malcolm Little who became known as Malcolm X.

Question 6

Why was Malcolm X critical of Martin Luther King’s methods?

Answer 6

Malcolm X was critical of MLK’s methods and believed the civil rights movement was holding black Americans back.

Question 7

What did Malcolm X want to create?

Answer 7

Malcolm X wanted to create a separate black state in the USA and use force if necessary.

Question 8

When was Malcolm X assassinated?

Answer 8

Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965.

Question 9

What is the SNCC and when was it set up?

Answer 9

The Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee was set up in 1960.

Question 10

What happened to the SNCC from 1966?

Answer 10

From 1966, the SNCC became more radical when back student Stokely Carmichael was elected chairman.

Question 11

What did Carmichael talk abou?

Answer 11

Carmichael talked about ‘black power’ and was critical of the actions of Martin Luther King.

Question 12

What did Carmichael say about the USA?

Answer 12

He said “[The USA] is racist from top to bottom and does not function by morality, love and non-violence, but by power.”

Question 13

Which group was even more radical Stokely Carmichael?

Answer 13

The Black Panthers was even more radical than Stokely Carmichael.

Question 14

Who were the Black Panthers?

Answer 14

They had 2000 members, were a political party and also a small, private army.

Question 15

What did the Black Panthers believe?

Answer 15

They believed that black Americans should arm themselves and force the whites to give them equal rights.

Question 16

What many members of the police did the Black Panthers kill?

Answer 16

They clashed with police forces many times and killed 9 police officers between 1967-69.

Question 17

When were the race riots?

Answer 17

Between 1965-67.

Question 18

Where were the race riots of 1965-67?

Answer 18

Surprisingly, these riots didn’t take place in the southern states where many blacks still faced discrimination, but were in the northern states where there were large black populations and which were officially ‘free of racism’.

Question 19

Why did most of the race riots start?

Answer 19

Most of the race riots started due a poor relations between the police and black Americans.

Question 20

How were many cities still divided?

Answer 20

Many cities in the north were still divided along racial lines (i.e. blacks and whites didn’t often live near to each other).

Question 21

Who mostly made up the police force, how did this make blacks feel?

Answer 21

Most of the police were whites and working-class blacks didn’t feel as though they had the same protection from crime as whites did.

Question 22

Which were the 2 most serous riots?

Answer 22

The 2 most serious riots were the Watts Riots in Los Angeles and the Detroit riots.

Question 23

When were the Watts riots in Los Angeles?

Answer 23

The Watts riots in Los Angeles were in 1965.

Question 24

When were the riots in Detroit?

Answer 24

The riots in Detroit were in July 1967.

Question 25

How many people were involved in the Watts riots in Los Angeles?

Answer 25

30,000 protesters.

Question 26

How many people were arrested in the riots in Detroit?

Answer 26

7,000 people were arrested.

Question 27

What did the Black Power movement show to politicians?

Answer 27

It brought the unhappiness of many black Americans to the attention of politicians and the public.

Question 28

How did the media present the Black Power movement?

Answer 28

The media misrepresented the movement and based their stories on ignorance and didn’t attempt to understand the issues.

Question 29

What was the problem with MLk’s movement and the Black Power movement being portrayed separately?

Answer 29

It was portrayed as separate from MLK’s actions, but they did share common goals. King was good friend with Stokely Carmichael, for example and both were opposed to the Vietnam War.

Question 30

Who said that the movement gave the police an excuse to arrest even peaceful black Americans?

Answer 30

Roy Wilkins.

Question 31

What was the effect of the radical elements of the movement?

Answer 31

The radical elements of the movement alarmed people in the USA and alienated whites who may have eventually supported the civil rights movement.