R.B. Stall High School – Article of the Week
Black History Month
February 17, 2014
Name:________________________________________________Date:_____________________
Did you know that the fight for civil rights has been fought by different organizations with vastly different views about how to
achieve the goal of equal rights for all? Read the following article to learn more about two of these groups, the Black Panthers and
the NAACP. Remember to preview first, set a purpose for reading, and then read closely and carefully. Answer the questions after
reading. Look back in the text for help.
WHAT WAS THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY?
What’s in a title?
Source: http://www.blackpanther.org/legacytwo.htm (This source tells you that the information is from the organizations website.
Does this mean that it is objectively written?)
Lexile: 1550
(1)The Black Panther Party was a progressive political organization that stood in the vanguard of the most powerful
movement for social change in America since the Revolution of 1776 and the Civil War: that dynamic episode generally
referred to as The Sixties. It is the sole black organization in the entire history of black struggle against slavery and
oppression in the United States that was armed and promoted a revolutionary agenda, and it represents the last great thrust by
the mass of black people for equality, justice and freedom.
(2)The Party's ideals and activities were so radical; it was at one time assailed by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover as "the greatest
threat to the internal security of the United States." And, despite the demise of the Party, its history and lessons remain so
challenging and controversial that established texts and media would erase all reference to the Party from American history.
(3)The Black Panther Party was the manifestation of the vision of Huey P. Newton, the seventh son of a Louisiana family
transplanted to Oakland, California. In October of 1966, in the wake of the assassination of black leader Malcolm X and on
the heels of the massive black, urban uprising in Watts, California and at the height of the civil rights movement led by Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Newton gathered a few of his longtime friends, including Bobby Seale and David Hilliard, and
developed a skeletal outline for this organization. It was named, originally, the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. The
black panther was used as the symbol because it was a powerful image, one that had been used effectively by the short lived
voting rights group the Lowndes County (Alabama) Freedom Organization. The term "self defense" was employed to
distinguish the Party's philosophy from the dominant nonviolent theme of the civil rights movement, and in homage to the
civil rights group the Louisiana based Deacons for Defense. These two, symbolic references were, however, where all
similarity between the Black Panther Party and other black organizations of the time, the civil rights groups and black power
groups, ended.
NAACP: 100 Years of History
Source: http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history
What does NAACP mean?
(1)Founded Feb. 12. 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights
organization. It’s more than half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier
advocates for civil rights in their communities, campaigning for equal opportunity and conducting voter mobilization.
(2)The NAACP was formed partly in response to the continuing horrific practice of lynching and the 1908 race riot in
Springfield, the capital of Illinois and resting place of President Abraham Lincoln. Appalled at the violence that was
committed against blacks, a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard, both
the descendants of abolitionists, William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss
racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American (including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett
and Mary Church Terrell), signed the call, which was released on the centennial of Lincoln's birth.
(3)Echoing the focus of Du Bois' Niagara Movement began in 1905, the NAACP's stated goal was to secure for all people the
rights guaranteed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution, which promised an end to
slavery, the equal protection of the law, and universal adult male suffrage, respectively.
(4)The NAACP's principal objective is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group
citizens of United States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination
through the democratic processes.
The NAACP established its national office in New York City in 1910 and named a board of directors as well as a president,
Moorfield Storey, a white constitutional lawyer and former president of the American Bar Association. The only African
American among the organization's executives, Du Bois was made director of publications and research and in 1910
established the official journal of the NAACP, The Crisis.
(5)The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s echoed the NAACP's goals, but leaders such as Martin Luther King
Jr., of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, felt that direct action was needed to obtain them.
(6)Although it was criticized for working exclusively within the system by pursuing legislative and judicial solutions, the
NAACP did provide legal representation and aid to members of other protest groups over a sustained period of time. The
NAACP even posted bail for hundreds of Freedom Riders in the ‘60s who had traveled to Mississippi to register black voters
and challenge Jim Crow policies.
(7)Heading into the 21st century, the NAACP is focused on disparities in economics, health care, education, voter
empowerment and the criminal justice system while also continuing its role as legal advocate for civil rights issues.
Think About It!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What differences are there between the founding members of the Black Panthers and the NAACP?
How do the beliefs of both organizations differ in methods to reach goals of attaining equality?
What was the original name of the Black Panthers?
How has the focus of the NAACP changed over time?
Which organization would Dr. Martin Luther King support?
Which organization would Malcolm X support?
7.
Which organization do you believe is the most effective in gaining equal rights? Explain why giving
evidence from the text.