The Black Panther Party Flashcards
Who founded the BP party?
Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton
What was the BPP beliefs/ demands?
demands:
- black communities should exercise their Second Amendment rights.
- community control of institutions
- full employment
- decent housing and education
- exemptions from military service for black men
- freedom from prison to all black men
- end to racial violence and police brutality
beliefs:
-black men should not be fighting a war to ‘defend a racist government who does not protect us’
- believed white juries were unfit to judge a black man who was accused due to lack of understanding.
- AA had the right to reject a govt. that was not acting within their interests.
- black nationalism
- self defence (carry a gun)
what was the BPP’s public appeal?
- black men in prison
- the black population of Oakland (high imprisonment)
- young black men
What was patrolling the police/ pigs?
- monitored the police at a distance
- took advantage of a state law that allowed them to carry loaded weapons in public
- anytime they witnessed an arrest they would observe and read relevant sections
What happened in relation to carrying armed weapons in the 1960s?
- Donald Mulford proposed to make the carrying of weapons in California illegal.
- this prompted the BPP to protest inside the California State Capitol building where politicians were debating the bill
- this brought about national and international attention to the BBP
What was the ‘Free Huey’ campaign?
- 28th Oct 1967: Oackland police officer (John Frey) was killed in an incident involving Huey P.Newton who was also wounded at the scene - N was charged with murder and the death penalty (triggered the campaign).
- the BPP organised parades, rallies, and protests outside the courthouse and insured that supporters were always present inside the courtroom.
- the campaign was to elevate Newton as a symbol of everything the Black Panther Party stood for, creating something of a living martyr.
- by the end of the campaign the party contained thousands of members and many more supporters
What was ‘black first’ policy?
- advocated by Stokley Carmichael which warned against entering partnerships with white political organisations.
What coalition did the BPP benefit from and how?
- Peace and Freedom Party (opposed the Vietnam War and was supported by thousands of white radicals)
- gained more support/ members.
What was the ‘free Breakfast Program’?
- the program began in Jan 1969
- a community service program run by the Black Panther Party that focused on providing free breakfast for children before school.
what was the aftermath of the BPP?
- it had been subjected to intense FBI counter intelligence activities (infiltration, distribution of falsified documents and surveillance)
- it was focusing more on social programmes and de-emphasising armed struggle.
- moved towards engagement with the local political system
- by the 1980s the BPP was effectively dead.
The positive impact of the BPP?
The negative impact of the BPP?