How Did The Black Panther Party Play In The Civil Rights Movement?

African Americans faced a great deal of racial injustice in America during the 1960’s. In an attempt to combat this problem, the Black Panther Party for Self Defense was formed. The Black Panther Party took a different approach to fighting for their rights, which caused many to question their legitimacy. Carrying firearms and not being devoted to non-violence were a couple aspects that separated them from all other groups at the time. The Black Panther Party played a critical role for the development of African American rights during the civil rights movement. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party in 1966 in Oakland, California. Their original objective was to protect African American neighborhoods from police brutality.
In the beginning, the few members would listen to police scanners for arrests in progress. Panthers would then rush to the scene, armed, and observe the police while informing the individual under arrest of his or her rights. The fact that they were armed and well knowledgeable of the law kept many African Americas from being unfairly arrested. In doing this, the party gained respect and extensive local support. The membership surpassed two thousand by the late 1960s, and operated chapters in numerous large cities throughout America. As the California government saw what was happening, they attempted to pass a bill that would dis-arm the Panthers, by making it illegal to carry a loaded weapon in an urban area. In response to this, the party marched into the California state legislature fully armed (Black Panther Party). The images of the
Government. The government did not support the party and did not agree with their beliefs. After the party was formed and became more vocal the FBI began spying on key members. Records that have since been declassified show informants joined the party with the express purpose of supplying the FBI with information. J. Edgar Hoover was the director of the FBI at this time. In 1968, he declared the Black Panther Party the greatest threat to national security (Black Panther Party). This was a very bold statement, because communism was taking over parts of Asia, and we were fighting a war to prevent it. As a means to halt the spread of the Panthers, the FBI launched COINTELPRO, or the counter intelligence program (The Black Panther Party). The fact that The Black Panther Party was labeled public enemy number one shows how adamant some people were on preventing African American from gaining the rights they