APUSH+Black+Panthers

The Black Panther Party for black protection: founded October 1966





The Black Panthers was founded off the ideas of Huey P Newton, and Bobby Seale. Original six Black Panthers (November, 1966) //Top left to right:// Elbert "Big Man" Howard; Huey P. Newton (Defense Minister), Sherman Forte, Bobby Seale (Chairman). //Bottom://Reggie Forte and Little Bobby Hutton (Treasurer). Source: []

Their ideals and activities were founded off of the late Malcom X who represented military protection,while being a role model to stand up for equality for the minorites. They also promoted positive community services. They focused mainly on the american civil rights movement. The Black Panthers were extremely "radical" in their actions, so much to the point that one day in 1967 they marched into the california state capital fully armed in protest to the guncontrol bill, which outlawed carrying loaded weapons in public. Huey Newton was shot and arrested and charged with killing a cop from oakland there. This started the "Free Huey" movement which really popularized the Black Panthers. His charge was reduced from murder in the first degree, to manslaughter, eventually he was released from jail in 1970. This was a great victory for the Black Panthers, however eclipsed do to the death of Jonathan Jackson (brother of George Jackson) shortly after. He was only 17 when the incident happened and he was trying to free the Soledad Brothers but was eventually shot to death in the end.

The black panthers started to lose more of their main members (george jackson assasination, Eldridge Cleaver's expulsion from the party due to terrorist motives.) but still continued their agenda. They started to get more noticed by the government and even tried to put a black panther in office, however it was denied. In some years The Black panthers started to lose leadership and people hunted many of them down and killed them. Bobby Seale left the group and Huey P Newton resigned.

The story of The Black Panther Party is a revolutionary one and a bloody one. They paved the way for equal rights among minorities and the end of major poverty.