Origins of the Black Panthers and Contribution to the Civil Rights Movement (Research Paper Sample)

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Black Panthers and the Civil Rights Movement
The Black Panthers are African American groups formed the Black Panther Party, initially known as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The political party was established in 1966, in Oakland, by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton to advocate for black rights and form a revolution against police brutality against the black community (Cleaver and Katsiaficas). The party members dressed in dark skin sheathings and black capes as they patrolled Oakland and other American cities, recruiting more members until they were over 2000 people by 1968 (Cleaver and Katsiaficas). The youngest age of the Black Panther recruits was around 20 years, while the majority were youths. Additionally, the group advanced into a Marxist revolution group that ensured its members were armed with weapons to counter resistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (Wendt 170). Moreover, the Black Panthers advocated for the release of imprisoned African Americans and compensation to back citizens who underwent brutal treatment from white Americans. However, the organization declined after some time because of internal tensions, activities by the FBI counterintelligence, and deadly shootouts (Cleaver and Katsiaficas). Therefore, this paper will analyze Black Panthers' origin and political program, its impacts and repression, black panther era and legacy, the new party, and its significance in civil rights movement.
Origin and Political System
The origin of Black Panthers started from its founders. The initiators of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, met as students in 1961 at Merritt College in California. While in school, the two arranged protests against the ``Pioneer Day`` celebrations neglected the contributions of African Americans and only honored pioneers from California in the 1800s (Cleaver and Katsiaficas). As a result, the two racists initiated the Negro History Fact Group in the University teaching Black history to African Americans (Christian). Additionally, the two formed the Black Panthers after the assassination of Malcolm X and the massive killing of unarmed African Americans by police in San Francisco. The party officially started to monitor police activity in 1966 especially how blacks were treated in Oakland and other regions in America (Cleaver and Katsiaficas). Moreover, the party instituted over 60 community help programs that included free clothing, legal aid instruction, medical services, and free shoes to African Americans. Their population grew as they continued to establish more programs recruiting new members. Furthermore, the Black Panthers got support from towns with widespread minority groups, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago (Cleaver and Katsiaficas). The group was now ready to start a political