The Peculiarities of the Black Movements in America of the 1960s - Essay Example

The Peculiarities of the Black Movements in America of the 1960s The of the The Peculiarities of the Black Movements in America of the 1960s The history of mankind has gone through many stages of human interaction including such an issue as slavery of black people. Nevertheless, after abolition of the latter African Americans, for example, had a long struggle for their rights and freedom, especially in the 20th century. From 1920s blacks actively fought for equal rights with whites and full participation in public life. Some of the movements for the rights of black people called up African Americans to leave the inhospitable coasts of North America and return to Africa. As we can see the protest of the black American minorities against racial oppression was oscillated between two poles: the integration and separatism. In the postwar decades the fight for the rights resumed in two main movements - the civil rights Movement headed by the famous preacher Martin Luther King (advocated peaceful methods of struggle), and the Black Panthers movement with its Muslim father Malcolm X (proclaimed armed struggle to achieve justice for blacks, namely: the power of black) guided by conflicting means of struggle. Still even being at feud leaders of both directions of the black revolution were united in one thing, that is, they sought to free the black community of America from feeling of inferiority. The task of this assignment is to consider the peculiarities of the Black Power phase of the movement, personified by Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. To begin with it must be said that the appearance of any movement for black civil rights was not unnatural, for black people have found themselves in real unequal position comparatively to whites. One of the turning points of the arranging of the Black Panthers was the assassination of Malcolm X whose works were chosen as the basis of the ideas for the movement. This and other murders of the black leaders stimulated that “Black Power” slogan erupts during a Mississippi march following the attack of Meredith” (Morgan). The other reason of the Panthers uprise is a response to the plight of blacks in the United States. Black residents of the southern suburbs of the country were those ones who had been extremely suffered from the American capitalist system. They had got to be the people of a second class and cheap labor. The white population had a privileged position. Moreover, the life of blacks was of no value to the extent that they could be shot by the police without good reason. All this led to the fact that the idea of active and non-peaceful struggle proclaimed by the Panthers had been taken on cheers, as among African-American population in the 1950s and 1960s the mood of intolerance and willingness to take decisive action in the name of immediate social changes had become more widespread. Another favorable factor was that Malcolm X and other preachers appealed to the poor, desperate or marginal residents of black communities, those who had not been touched by particular words and calls of other politicians and ideologues. The existence of such conditions in the southern United States was sufficient for the occurrence of the Black Panthers movement (October 1966) that was originally created as an organization to protect blacks from the ghetto police and the racist whites. At the beginning of their existence the Panthers got no attention from American media because their actions like following police cars and controlling their actions against blacks on the streets of Oakland were not illegal (weapons-bearing by the Panthers was licensed). In this regard American government decided to change gun laws and provoked thereby interference into state building of the armed Black Panthers. That was the moment the movement had received publicity in the press, and the starting point of its official history during which in the eyes of Americans the Panthers grew up from the common opinion of being military anti-whites aggressors to the notion of them to be victims and martyrs of the white society. The paradox was that even such a thing as the Black Panthers’ help for poor people, that is, breakfast-for-kids program was perceived negatively by subjectively configured governors headed by Nixon who intended to neutralize them through the work of the police and the FBI. Finally the Panthers gained the recognition in the white society; for some time they became the power that was perceived as the main threat to internal security of the country. They were totally negative characters because people were misled by unprofessional mass media which even did not check the data and gave the information that was convenient for the Government. Still this black movement managed to regain its true face of the one that just aimed at equal civil rights for African Americans. So why that was Malcolm X who became a thought leader of the Black Panthers movement, and what he could give his black fellow citizens? First of all he knew that “Negroes in this country have never been allowed to organize themselves because of white interference. As a result of this, the stereotype has been reinforced that blacks cannot organize themselves” (Arbor, 120). There was no climate and no freedom in its true sense for the blacks to realize their ideas and rights, and Malcolm X was aware of the ways of obtaining the life worth living for the black. His main idea was in the full control over black community from management to funding that should be concentrated in the hands of African Americans to show the white that such a black organization was viable. This went near tired black people’s heart. “Malcolm X was another source of inspiration… used the language of colonization, oppression, and exploration to describe the African-American experience. He saw black Americans as a distinct nation-within-a-nation and advocated solutions that fostered black political, social, and economic autonomy” (Lewis, 211). The leader in his speeches proclaimed the importance of union of all black powers in the struggle for their rights. He encouraged people to be conscious and not to vote for the white government which did not keep its promises and did nothing for the improvement of African Americans’ life (here is a cold call for separatism). According to Malcolm’s words, “They get all the Negro vote, and after they get it, the Negro gets nothing in return” (Malcolm). He hold to “Dont be throwing out any ballots. A ballot is like a bullet. You dont throw your ballots until you see a target, and if that target is not within your reach, keep your ballot in your pocket” (Malcolm) underlying in his sermon tongue the necessity of blacks’ cohesion in achieving true driven by black people community which would be on the side of their will. In his calls the leader skillfully emphasized the aspect that the white government with its fake democracy had failed itself for the blacks and had to be no longer supported by them. The all mentioned had contributed to Malcolm’s becoming an effective head of the Black Panthers. Consequently, similar ideas of unfair inequality of black people originated in African-American student movements. The key purpose of young activists was to draw social attention to the fact of the blacks’ oppression as well as to appeal to all the members of the black community for understanding of its fellows’ suffering and to bear in its representatives the desire to fight side by side for their civil rights. Different protest actions organized by black students aroused the problems of Black America and showed by them that the black youth is inseparable essential part of the black community and the black power. One of such an active participants of the movement for civil rights of the black people was Diane Nash, one of the founders and leading lights of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in April 1960. She was an outstanding woman and tough soldier in the one skin. Among Nash’s attainments in Civil Rights Movement was her recognition as one of the most respected leaders of Nashville students’ sit-in action (1960), organization of numerous Freedom Rides (till 1961), prison vacation in solidarity to the nine students imprisoned after the lunch counter sit-in (February 1961), and participation in the picket against local supermarkets denial of blacks’ work placement (August 1961). “In a crisis situation she could be fierce and fearless… keeping the Freedom Rides going, standing up to Martin Luther King. But when it came time to take credit for her work, she would often slide into the shadows…” (Lewis, 121). She was an adherent of nonviolent but effective speaking for themselves methods of struggle and the follower of King’s teaching. Diane Nash could not put up with right abuse of humans in general and of the black in particular. And she did not wait for appreciation, as her aim was the help people itself but not praise for it. One of the significant cases of Diane Nash’s whole dedication to her lifetime work was her unenforced decision to let herself be imprisoned in Jackson being in the third month of pregnancy (April 1962). Her argument was the next one: “Since my child will be a black child, born in Mississippi, whether I am in jail or not, he will be born in a prison” (Lewis, 121). By such an action Diane did not just show her willingness to obey the law (that was in some sense hated by her) but drew attention to the deplorable position of African Americans. No impediments were able to break the strong character and will of the woman, and only stimulated her to accumulate powers for continuing fight. Today Diane Nash receives recognition and awards for her active role in the black movement of 1960s. To conclude it all, the movement for civil rights of the black population of America with its legion leaders and activists has played a great meaningful role for the present position of African Americans. Their conscientious fight against impairment of rights of blacks has contributed to the government’s understanding of necessity of improvement of Black America’s life by giving them the power to maintain the black community and to be equal in rights with the white residents of the country. References Arbor, Ann. SNCC Speaks for Itself. Michigan: The Radical Educational Project. Lewis, Andrew B. The Remarkable Journey of the Civil Rights Genertion. Angry Young Men in the Season of Radical Chick. New York: Hill and Wang. Lewis, Andrew B. The Remarkable Journey of the Civil Rights Genertion. Inroads in the Deep South. New York: Hill and Wang. Malcolm, X. (1964). The Ballot or the Bullet. Cleveland, Ohio. Apr. 3. Morgan, Edward P. (1992). The Sixties Experience: Hard Lessons about Modern America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Read More