Depth Study 3: Malcolm X and Black Power

What happened in Malcolm X's early life?

X's Father was a civil rights activist and minister, Earl Little (who agreed with Garvey's ideals of African separatism and nationalism) As a family, they faced racial persecution & Earl was found dead in 1931. After his mother's mental breakdown, Malcolm moved to Boston and became a professional criminal. In prison 5 years, he underwent conversion to Islam, joining the radical group NOI.

What happened when X went to Washington to witness a debate on the Civil Rights bill?

He began a process of engagement with the movement, and appeared to change his views on separatism because he now told the Mississippi youth that he supported voter registration efforts

What did Malcolm X preach to African Americans?

- He wanted them to disassociate from the whites, and believed in violent revolution

What was ironic about Malcolm X's final years?

MLK became more politically radical in his approach, Malcom X began to soften up his approach after his trip to the Middle East where he completed the Hajj (A pilgrimage Muslims desire to take at least once in their lifetime)

Overall how successful was Malcolm X?

- He had considerable influence in promoting a sense of pride and identity among African American's that did not depend on integration or accepting white values

- He had an influence on the emergence of the Black Power movement

· YET given his aims, he was not able to amount to the same level of success as MLK who could claim the civil rights legislation

POLITICAL CHANGES - positive

a) What was Malcolm's main focus as a leader?

b) What was the governments attitude towards the NOI and Malcolm?

a) - Malcolm preferred to focus on the economic and social conditions that AA's suffered in inner cities, which he believed king did not combat

b) - Governments were cautious in their comments on the NOI and they kept an FBI surveillance on Malcolm from 1960 onwards

POLITICAL CHANGES - negative

What did Elijah Muhammed restrict Malcolm from doing, and what did this impact?

Muhammed restricted Malcolm from speaking into direct political terms, therefore X's lacked a proper platform for campaigning for civil rights

SOCIAL CHANGES - positives

a) What was ironic about the desegregation of schools?

b) Where did Malcolm's views spread quickly in the USA?

a) the desegregation of school was more noticeable in the previously hostile segregated South

b) In the North. Malcolm's views spread quickly among poor as northern blacks could relate to his deprived background in a way that king and other southern Christians could not.

How did Malcolm reach large audiences?

Became an increasingly popular speaker on TV shows, was in magazines and did radio interviews: mass media = mass audience.

SOCIAL CHANGES - negative

a) How did unemployment for black youths get progressively worse?

Black employment amongst teenagers had increased more than white employment in the 20 years after 1945 leading to even greater poverty in the country as a whole

Why was housing the key root of social problems for African Americans in the North? And how did this stimulate further social problems in the 50s-60s?

As they were trapped in the cities with segregated housing, indifferent education, leading to high crime rates.

What was the process of blockbusting?

When U.S. real estate agents and building developers

would try convince white property owners to sell their house at low prices, by promoting fear in those house owners that racial minorities will soon be moving into the neighbourhood.

How did blockbusting disadvantage African Americans?

It contributed to setting blacks at a disadvantage as it encouraged segregation.

What happened amongst black youths?

Black students became caught in a poverty cycle in which they were leaving school with minimal qualifications therefore were ill-equipped to compete in the job market

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 not focus on?

Economic questions

POLITICAL CHANGES - positive

How was there a shift from convectional politics to 'identify politics'?

There was a new type of democratic discussion, which further impacted gay rights and the second wave of feminism

What was in the Black Power Movement 10 point programme? What were their aims?

Group into 4..

1. Freedom of black community

2.Full employment and housing, education

3. End to police brutality

fair criminal justice system

4.land entitlement.

POLITICAL CHANGES - Negative

How did Nixon react to The Black Panthers?

took a strong line of law and order with firm action taken against them.

What happened with the FBI in 1970?

Due to their infiltration, they targeted the leaders of the Black Panther movement

SOCIAL CHANGES - Positive

a) Who were the leaders of the Black Panther Movement?

b) What did the Black Panthers do?

a) Huey Newton and Bobby Seale

b) They patrolled the streets in black communities and They pressured local authorities to improve facilities

a) What were the 3 biggest riots in the 60s?

b) What years was the Chicago freedom movement?

c) What caused the Chicago freedom movement?

a) Los Angeles 1965, Chicago 1966 and Detroit 1967

b) 1966

c)caused by the inequalities black people faced in the ghettos, such as education, police and gov discrimination, unemployment and poverty.

a) In what year did MLK and the SCLC take his campaign to the North, in Chicago?

b) What did they find when they got to Chicago?

a) 1966

b) The SCLC struggled to connect with the ghetto gangs in Chicago. Churches were not as influential in northern city communities as they were in the South.

Riots broke out before the marches began, and SCLC members were pelted with rocks..

The publicity was not as great as expected.

What did 'Black Power' become symbolic of, and how did it break from MLK's teachings?

· the new wave of the black freedom struggle that broke from earlier tactics focused on the church and King's "beloved community."

What other countries did the Black Power Movement influence?

Great Britain and Jamaica

How was black heritage and culture reinforced?

· Courses were run on African Americans in schools and universities

· The term 'Black is beautiful' became popularised and there was a move away from trying to copy white Americans hair

Increased confidence in being black by challenging white values.

How did The Black Power Movement also address misogyny directed at black women?

Examples of a black female is...

The women of the party made their voices heard on many issues, such as Eliane Brown who was the first first Chairwoman.

What was RAM and when was it formed?

Explain THREE things RAM did?

The Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM)

- RAM engaged in voter registration/education drives, organised community support for the economic boycotts of the Philadelphia "

- They were active in coalitions to eliminate police brutality against the African-American community. RAM publicised itself as a revolutionary organisation based around the tactics of using confrontational self-defense direct action to achieve its ends.

-RAM also upheld the right of African-Americans to use armed self-defense to protect them against racist violence

a) In 1963 what movement did Muhammad Ahmad begin?

b) What did RAM achieve?

a) The Revolutionary Action Movement. (RAM) and they fused Black nationalism with Marxism-Leninism.

b) extremely active branch in Detroit, which had become a center of revolutionary activism

What did RAM do at the 1967 Detroit Rebellion?

clue: young people...

They formed the Black Guards, a youth group that hoped to channel the spontaneous rebellion into coordinated revolutionary action.

What was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee?

Committee of younger blacks with a voice in the civil rights movement. The SNCC soon became one of the movement's more radical branches...

They were influenced by Malcolm X and the Watts (LA) Rebellion.

NEGATIVE CHANGES - Social

What did the division from white and black Americans impact?

increased fears of repression which weakened the impact of the movement and its ability to make change

· The Black Power movement's association to separatism and radicalise alienated them, weakening support.

Why may the Poor Peoples Campaign have failed?

·Without King they had lowered the movements public imagine and the growing militancy of black power hindered their support.

How many Black Panther's were arrested in 1961

How many Black Panther's were shot in 1961?

Arrested = 27

Shot = 270

What was the highest figure of official members the Black Panther Movement had...?

Only 5000.

ECONOMIC POSITIVE

What happened at a local level for AA communities?

Communities and groups that sought to promote African American rights and economic activities