The Black Panthers: A Public Threat, or a Misunderstood Cause The Civil Rights movement was filled with organizations, which all believed they knew the best way to achieve rights for African Americans. One group that still stands out in the public’s mind is the Black Panthers. They used radical tactics to demonstrate their desire for equal rights, which are still debated today. The Black Panthers were a complex group, that was doing what it believed was right for the African Americans that had been discriminated against for decades. While many people saw the Black Panthers as a threat to public safety during their time active, they helped achieve equality for African Americans in the United States. Huey P. Newton led the Black Panthers …show more content…
The most obvious goal of the Black Panthers was racial equality. They created the Panther Ten Point Platform, a program to express their wants and beliefs (Shih & Williams, 2016). The listed wants were freedom, employment, the end of capitalism, decent housing, education, exemption from military service, the end of police brutality, trials by a jury of their peers, and peace. They outlined in detail why these things were wanted, and this offered insight into their beliefs and reasonings. The Black Panthers held extremely radical ideas for their time. They believed that Capitalism was the cause of joblessness and should therefore be dismantled (Duncan, 2017). The ideas the Black Panthers held still remain controversial today, due to their ideas of people and the economy. They believed all African Americans should be armed, exempt from the drant, freed from jail, and given compensation for slavery (Duncan, 2017). The Black Panthers were not only controversial for their ideas, but also how they went about achieving …show more content…
One reason was the efforts of the United States government to dismantle the organization. In later years, when their tactics were revealed, they apologized for incorrectly using their power. The main factor in the groups demise was the disintegration of the organization’s leadership (Duncan, 2017). Because of a drug dispute, Newton was killed in a West Oakland alley, in August of 1989. While functioning, they were a key piece in the civil rights movement. Despite being disbanded in the 80’s, their influence can still be seen today. The Black Panther Party had a notable influence on the civil rights movement. Starting out as a small group in Oakland, the group found fame in controversial protests (Duncan, 2017). Their use of guns gave many people a negative image of the organization, despite the positive work they did (Duncan, 2017). The leader/cofounder of the Black Panthers, Huey P. Newton, led a complex life that could have only founded a complex organization. In the future, the Black Panthers will continue to be discussed, and their name will survive with the