The Black Power movement marked a turning point in black-white relations in the United States and in how blacks saw themselves. The movement was hailed by some as a positive and proactive force aimed at helping blacks achieve full equality with whites, but it was reviled by others as a militant, sometimes violent faction whose primary goal was to drive a wedge between whites and blacks. In truth, the Black Power movement was a complex event that took place at a time when society and culture was being transformed throughout the United States, and its legacy reflects that complexity.
Stokey Carmichael was the prime minister of the Black Panther Party. It was a fiery Rhetoric organization, involved with pragmatic programs, with armed defence acting as neighbourhood police.
Martin Luther King’s main reason for his involvement was mainly due to his background. His father was a Baptist minister alike himself, so they had a strong Christian background. He was well educated and from a middle class background, therefore knowing how to approach the Civil Rights movement in a peaceful way, explaining the direct action he used. He had many influences; Gandhi, who was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British Rule, and is widely considered as the father of his country. His doctrine of his non-violent protest to achieve political and social progress, has been hugely influential, which explains the non violent approach. Another was his family, who also believed in what King thought
Many things, making him act violent towards others, influenced Malcolm X’s reasons. He was brought up, poor and with little education. He converted to Islam and became a Muslim, influenced by his ego and Islam. Malcolm X came from the North were discrimination was mostly. However in the south where King live, also being his birthplace, and here is living and working against segregation. Martin Luther King’s aims were to solve the issue of civil rights, making the status of blacks and the conditions they lived in better. He was working for the peace and equality of both blacks and whites, unlike Malcolm X whose aims were to have an all black state with Black Supremacy, he especially hated the way that King didn’t act quick enough, resulting in Malcolm X’s violence.
In 1965, the civil rights act which, outlawed racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment. It was conceived to help African Americans; the bill was amended prior to passage to protect women, and explicitly included white people for the first time. It also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This act improved the situation and helped gain equality, with the general improvement of people’s lives, destroying the Jim Crow laws. Three years on the act got rid of the literacy tests, which were a big hassle for the Blacks who did not have advanced education. This therefore let Blacks able to vote.
There was a big success mainly due to Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. Their methods raised awareness of the issue, gaining huge amounts of publicity. In an attempt to persuade Congress to pass Kennedy’s proposed legislation, King and other Civil Rights leaders organized the famous March on Washington for jobs and freedom. Bayard Rustin was given overall control of the march and he managed to persuade the leaders of all the various Civil Rights groups to participate in the planned protest meeting at the Lincoln Memorial. One of the biggest factors was the media help. Although it was supported more by the public from King, as people preferred his approach, as his method was less violent. There was also presidential help from Kennedy, who wanted the Civil Rights act, however he died and Johnson who took over put the act into place. The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in public places, such as theatres, restaurants and hotels, illegal. It also required employers to provide equal employment opportunities. Projects involving federal funds could now be cut off if there is evidence of discrimination based on colour, race or national origin. All of these helped in gaining Civil Rights, although King’s way was most preferred, Malcolm X did help with a huge amount of the Black population supporting him, but he lost out on support from the Whites who backed King.