The Black Panther Party

Question 1

Who founded the BP party?

Answer 1

Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton

Question 2

What was the BPP beliefs/ demands?

Answer 2

demands:
- black communities should exercise their Second Amendment rights.
- community control of institutions
- full employment
- decent housing and education
- exemptions from military service for black men
- freedom from prison to all black men
- end to racial violence and police brutality
beliefs:
-black men should not be fighting a war to ‘defend a racist government who does not protect us’
- believed white juries were unfit to judge a black man who was accused due to lack of understanding.
- AA had the right to reject a govt. that was not acting within their interests.
- black nationalism
- self defence (carry a gun)

Question 3

what was the BPP’s public appeal?

Answer 3

• black men in prison
• the black population of Oakland (high imprisonment)
• young black men

Question 4

What was patrolling the police/ pigs?

Answer 4

• monitored the police at a distance
• took advantage of a state law that allowed them to carry loaded weapons in public
• anytime they witnessed an arrest they would observe and read relevant sections

Question 5

What happened in relation to carrying armed weapons in the 1960s?

Answer 5

• Donald Mulford proposed to make the carrying of weapons in California illegal.
• this prompted the BPP to protest inside the California State Capitol building where politicians were debating the bill
• this brought about national and international attention to the BBP

Question 6

What was the ‘Free Huey’ campaign?

Answer 6

• 28th Oct 1967: Oackland police officer (John Frey) was killed in an incident involving Huey P.Newton who was also wounded at the scene - N was charged with murder and the death penalty (triggered the campaign).
• the BPP organised parades, rallies, and protests outside the courthouse and insured that supporters were always present inside the courtroom.
• the campaign was to elevate Newton as a symbol of everything the Black Panther Party stood for, creating something of a living martyr.
• by the end of the campaign the party contained thousands of members and many more supporters

Question 7

What was ‘black first’ policy?

Answer 7

• advocated by Stokley Carmichael which warned against entering partnerships with white political organisations.

Question 8

What coalition did the BPP benefit from and how?

Answer 8

• Peace and Freedom Party (opposed the Vietnam War and was supported by thousands of white radicals)
• gained more support/ members.

Question 9

What was the ‘free Breakfast Program’?

Answer 9

• the program began in Jan 1969
• a community service program run by the Black Panther Party that focused on providing free breakfast for children before school.

Question 10

what was the aftermath of the BPP?

Answer 10

• it had been subjected to intense FBI counter intelligence activities (infiltration, distribution of falsified documents and surveillance)
• it was focusing more on social programmes and de-emphasising armed struggle.
• moved towards engagement with the local political system
• by the 1980s the BPP was effectively dead.

Question 11

The positive impact of the BPP?

Question 12

The negative impact of the BPP?