MALCOLM X/BLACK POWER AFRICAN AMERICANS

Question 1

Give context statement

Answer 1

• Despite the 1964 civil rights act and the 1965 voting rights act new demands (particularly when the focus of the movement switched to the north) led directly to black power - more difficult issue of economic and social compared to legal and political change
• Instead of greater harmony there was still tension with continuing agitation by radical groups

Question 2

Ways federal govt positively impacted rights

Answer 2

• 1968 Kenner report by Johnson - social and economic deprivation in ghettos were important reason behind violence that broke out every summer

Question 3

Ways black power positively impacted rights

Answer 3

• Black power raised awareness of practical difficulties facing black Americans - unemployment, police brutality, nature of their aims impossible to compare to mlk
• Black power made govt keen to cooperate with naacp and sclc - saw Muslims as threatening alternative
• 1972 - black power convention excluded white people

Question 4

Ways Nation of Islam positively impacted rights

Answer 4

• Nation of islam provided strong contrast to other organisations - awakened idea of black identity, saw the struggle of black Americans in a broader context (ideas of black superiority)
• Malcolm x raised noi membership - 1952 400 to 1960 40000 -> preached violent revolution and linked socialism, pan nationalism, anti colonialism and radical Islam
• Link to Islam gave emotional appeal - unlike secular naacp and core -> strong ideology and remain separate from white America
• Noi rekindled Garvey idea of nationalism
• Noi set up temples in northern black ghettos - Detroit and New York, 1969 membership in ghettos was 250000
• Muhammad Ali became involved in noi - following disowning of him 1971 naacp obtained Supreme Court ruling said he wasn’t criminal for refusing to fight in Vietnam, noi adopted him again
• Noi newspaper - Muhammad speaks had weekly circulation of 600000 -> promoted separatism and self help
• Elijah and son Wallace built lots of businesses - restaurants, symbolising black success, providing black American jobs

Question 5

Ways civil rights leader positively impacted rights

Answer 5

• Malcolm x - used religion and was charismatic leader -> celebrated African strength/values, keen to not portray black Americans as victims
• 1966 - Huey newton and bobby seale started black panther movement -> openly carried weapons and formed defence groups against police brutality
• Malcolm x established organisation of Afro American unit - unite black Americans and promote black independence -> moved toward socialism spurred by the economic inequality he saw
• Malcolm x raised awareness through speeches, writing and encouraging critical thinking about race problems, was role model to angry generation of black youth -> remind authorities of alternative to mlk
• Malcolm x criticised for doing few tangible things and not putting himself in danger like mlk - he stayed safe in northern places eg Harlem

Question 6

Other ways rights were positively impacted

Answer 6

• Nation of Islam/black power less popular support than Garvey and no coherent plan - successful in mobilising black people and making them realise they didn’t have to accept white values
• Separatism - not pursuing aims of white Americans, using black American economic power to generate enterprises
• Colleges established black studies programs/departments
• Black arts flourished - young black authors/poets, unlike Harlem renaissance they sought out black audience
• 1968 - 2 athletes made distinctive black power salute at Olympics
• Aims of black panther went beyond main movement - economic equality, end to capitalist exploitation, compensation in form of land/housing, separate juries for black people and protection from police intimidation -> rise to new black confidence (white values could be challenging)
• Made black Americans aware of oppressed black people everywhere - raised awareness of conditions in ghettos

Question 7

Ways civil rights leaders negatively impacted rights

Answer 7

• radical organisations - stokely Carmichael took over sncc and coined term black power -> exclude white people and celebrate things like Africans food/hair

Question 8

Ways black power negatively impacted rights

Answer 8

• Black power techniques created new problems -> self defence/carrying guns meant that idea of dangerous black Americans enhanced
• No central leadership in black power - different sub organisations with divergent aims -> radical said mainstream groups were sucking up to white, mainstream said radical too ready to use violence
• Black power didn’t succeed in getting black Americans to break away from white society - didn’t totally end de facto discrimination, forced whites to understand black American culture better
• Incoherence makes it easier to dismiss black power - no actual legislative change, no clear leadership, trying to achieve different things in different parts of the country
• Can’t judge black power against mlk actions - aims were black pride not legislation
• Black power led to divide in black community - some had become middle class southern blacks had little representation, religion condemned white
• Expelled white people - sncc lost of funding because of this (white liberals had provided financial support) and core banned white members

Question 9

Ways Nation of Islam negatively impacted rights

Answer 9

• Images of police brutality against mlk protests were humiliating and angered noi - mlk achievement considered irrelevant is superiority of black people not accepted
• 1964 - lots of people saw mlk as uncle tom -> too dependent on white people, noi seen as hate group of him
• Elijah Muhammad claimed to messenger of allah - rejected ideas of spiritual life after death, allah originally created black people -> alienated some people
• Malcolm x assassination fuelled anger with noi -> many left to black power

Question 10

Other ways rights were negatively impacted

Answer 10

• 1966 black panther formed - identified more with che guevara (Cuba) than mlk -> dividing movement
• 1969 - 27 black panthers shot, 750 arrested
• FBI considered black panthers threat to internal security - undermined their leadership by 1970
• Black panthers never had more than 5000 members, violence harmed their cause - achieved less than mlk (tangible)
• 1966 - James Meredith shot dead on march -> first black American to enter uni of Mississippi 1962, limitations to mlk achievements
• only 32% of pupils from ghettos finished high school - 56% of whites
• 1960s - 46% of unemployed were black -> little education, automation had removed many low skilled factory jobs
• Chicagos ghetto had 50-70% youth unemployment - very important to engage young people
• Differing attitudes about what to do about ghettos - naacp education, mlk Chicago freedom movement, Randolph unionisation to improve wages
• Banning whites created idea of separatism - swing back compared to march on Washington
• Mlk was broader movement (bus boycott) - black power generally younger movement
• Mlk hasn’t achieved anything in north - didn’t understand their needs