Difference between revisions of "Black Panthers"

Revision as of 21:39, 2 September 2008

Summary

Origin:

• Founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and others who were reacting to the assassination of Malcolm X
• Were inspired by Marxist and Socialist ideas
• goals

"Black Panthers." Photo. PBS.org. Dated 2002. Viewed 2 Sept. 2008. http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/actions/actions_formation.html

Chronology:

• Significant events & actions
• watershed moments
• turning points and phases of the organization

Significant People:

• individuals both inside the organization and out who impacted it’s course

Bobby Seale - Co-Founder and Chairman

Bobby Seale pioneered the Black Panther party with Huey P. Newton. Seale was born on October 22, 1936 in Dallas, Texas. Bobby Seale started off with a rambunctious clash with authority. He served in the United States Air Force for three years, but was discharged because of bad conduct. Newton and Seale met at Merritt College in Oakland California. The two eventually went on to work together in the development of the Black Panther Party and its Ten Point Platform. Along with other members of the Party, Seale was arrested multiple times for standing up to bigotry. After marching on California’s capital in May 1967 to protest a gun bill, Seale was arrested. Later that month Seale was arrested again because he was carrying a gun while he attempted to bail out co-founder Huey Newton from jail. He unknowingly violated a law passed in 1887 that prohibited guns near jails. Because he Seale was in violation of this gun law, he was sentenced to three years probation in June of 1968 ^[1] When asked about the charge, Seale told prosecutors that, “I know by the law, you could have a shotgun as long as it wasn't concealed and as long as you are in a public place, and I was actually in fact on a public sidewalk” ^[2]. As seen in his cunning answers, Seale seemed to possess a firm grasp of the law and the basic American rights that should be protected. Seale was even charged for conspiracy of murder, but the charges were dropped because of a lack of evidence. Yet another clash with the law occurred at the 1968 Democratic Convention ^[3]. The Panthers were protesting the fact that the Democratic National Party had not lived up to its promises concerning Civil Rights. The case against the “Chicago Seven” received national attention. The case was titled United States v. Dellinger, et. al. The 1969 case stated, “They, along with Bobby Seale, were charged with making certain speeches for the purposes of inciting, organizing, promoting, and encouraging a riot, after having traveled in interstate commerce to Chicago with intent to do so” ^[4]. His unwavering dedication to the Black Power movement drove Seale to make sacrifices that often landed him on the wrong side of the law. He actually received a four year sentence for inciting riots, but that was overturned ^[5]

Eldridge Cleaver - Minister of Information

Eldridge Cleaver is known as one of the most radical members of the Black Panther Party. Cleaver was born on August 31, 1935 in a small town in Arkansas. Cleaver later died in 1998. Like Seale, Cleaver did not have a clean record for very long. In 1958, he was put in prison after being accused of assault. Eventually he was paroled and joined the Black Panther Party in 1967 as their Minister of Information.^[6] Many Americans became frightened after Cleaver called for an armed uprising to replace the current United States government with that of a Black Socialist government. ^[7] After a year with the Panthers, Cleaver fled the country for Algeria with his wife to avoid a return to prison for his 1958 conviction. At this point the politics within the party begin to get out of control. Cleaver and Newton began to fight over control of the Black Panther Party. Seale and Newton were even kicked out of the party by Cleaver at one point and Cleaver was also kicked out of the party by Newton. This seemed to end his involvement with the Black Panther Party in the United States. ^[8] When Cleaver eventually returned to the United States in 1975, his sentence was reduced to 1200 hours of community service. He could have been given over 70 years in prison for his crimes. ^[9]

Outcomes/Long Term Effects on U.S. Culture:

References:

1. ↑ Luna Ray Films, LLC for PBS. "Bobby Seale." Dated 2002. 2 Sept. 2008 <http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/people/people_seale.html>.
2. ↑ “Testimony of Bobby Seale.” Dated 2006. Viewed 2 Sept. 2008. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Chicago7/Seale.html
3. ↑ "Bobby Seale."
4. ↑ Dellinger, et. al.." American Decades CD-ROM. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/
5. ↑ "Bobby Seale."
6. ↑ Luna Ray Films, LLC for PBS. “Eldridge Cleaver.” Dated 2002. Viewed 2 Sept. 2008. <http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/people/people_cleaver.html>.
7. ↑ "Eldridge Leroy Cleaver."Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. 5 vols. Macmillan, 1996. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/
8. ↑ “Eldridge Cleaver.”
9. ↑ "Eldridge Leroy Cleaver."

External links: