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“A Huey P. Newton Story - People - J. Edgar Hoover & the FBI.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/people/people_hoover.html#:~:text=On%20June%2015%2C%201969%2C%20J,year%20of%20the%20Party%27s%20existence. Accessed 30 Oct. 2023.

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To what extent did the violent tactics of the BPP negatively impact their goal of racial freedom?

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Kathleen Cleaver was the most prominent women of the black Panther movement, and this speech is an address to the murder of another influential member of the BPP. In this speech, Cleaver stated the rational behind using force against the police in order to inspire change. I chose this text, because it shows why the BPP chose to use violent tactics, and that they felt they would not be heard or see change if they did not.

“Huey Newton held the key to liberating the black people. He stated if the racist-dog policemen do not withdraw from the black community, cease their wanton murder, and torture and brutality of black people, they will face the wrath of the armed people.” (American Radio Works)

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Bassett, Mary T. “Beyond Berets: The Black Panthers as Health Activists.” American journal of public health vol. 106,10 (2016): 1741-3. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303412

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Hoffman, David. “The Dawn of Black Power.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Feb. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdpFKMbUv30.

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Media, American Public. “American Radioworks - Say It Plain, Say It Loud.” APM Reports - Investigations and Documentaries from American Public Media, americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/blackspeech/kcleaver.html. Accessed 30 Oct. 2023.

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Newton, Huey P. Revolutionary Suicide. Wildwood House, 1974.

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Advocation for Community Reforms- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (Secondary)

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Advocation for Community Reforms- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (Secondary)

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The image and the excerpt below from the Smithsonian, because they show the great, peaceful things the BPP accomplished, but are ignored due to the chaos created by them through their violent tactics.

“Although created as a response to police brutality, the Black Panther Party quickly expanded to advocate for other social reforms. Among the organization initiatives, they campaigned for prison reform, held voter registration drives, organized free food programs which included food giveaways and a school breakfast program in several cities, opened free health clinics in a dozen cities serving thousands who could not afford it, and created Freedom Schools in nine cities including the noteworthy Oakland Community School, led by Ericka Huggins from 1973 to 1981.” (SNMAAHC)

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“The Black Panther Party: Challenging Police and Promoting Social Change.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 23 Aug. 2020, nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/black-panther-party-challenging-police-and-promoting-social-change.

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Ten Point Program-1966 written by Huey P. Newton & Bobby Seale (primary)

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Ten Point Program-1966 written by Huey P. Newton & Bobby Seale (primary)

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The ten point program was the set of guidelines for the BPP. The sixth point stated that health care must be provided to all, and this is something they heavily worked to make and fight for. I chose this text, because I believe that their tactics of violence and armed protests often lead people to forget the great things they did to improve welfare and health care for the oppressed.

“WE WANT COMPLETELY FREE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE

We believe that the government must provide, free of charge, for the people, health facilities which will not only treat our illnesses, most of which have come about as a result of our oppression, but which will also develop preventive medical programs to guarantee our future survival. 4” (Ten Point Program)

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In a short documentary by David Hoffman, republished by the Smithsonian, it states that the violent tactics of the BPP, created a target on their back by local law enforcement, which led to the near extinction of their party. Their choice of protest almost killed off and imprisoned their entire movement. I chose these two quotes from Manning Marable within the documentary, because they show how the local and federal law enforcements were able to pinpoint and eliminate the BPP with the justification that they were fighting back against a threatening militant group.

“But an escalating cycle of shootouts, arrests, and eventually what Panthers claimed were assassinations by police led to the almost complete elimination of the Black Panther Party by the early 1970s” (TDBP)

“26 panthers were killed by local law enforcement agents, and 750 panthers were imprisoned or jailed. The organization was largely destroyed systematically by the local and federal authorities.”

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John Edgar Hoover was the Director of the FBI for 48 years (pbs) and was a person of high political and federal power. The violent protests and shootouts between the BPP and law enforcement, prompted the federal government to use their fight for civil rights as a way to criminalize and eliminate the black panther party. The FBI classified the BPP as the greatest internal threat to national security, which twisted their image, from a new form of fighting for civil rights and change, into an extremist group of terrorists that wanted to create civil unrest. This made it easier for cops to attack them, and use even more brutality and power over the black, and other oppressed communities.

“The Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest

threat to internal security of the country.” (PBS)

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The BPP did not believe that nonviolent protests were productive in the fight for racial equality. Founder Huey P. Newton believed that the African Americans could not be fully freed from oppression, and discrimination, without fighting a war against the people and systems that oppressed them. I chose this specific quote from his book, and it states clearly that he felt if not for risking their lives through violent tactics, no change would ever be seen.

“I do not think that life will change for the better without an assault on the Establishment, which goes on exploiting the wretched of the earth. This belief lies at the heart of the concept of revolutionary suicide. Thus it is better to oppose the forces that would drive me to self-murder than to endure them. Although I risk the likelihood of death, there is at least the possibility, if not the probability, of changing intolerable conditions.” (Revolutionary Suicide)

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NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

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NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)