The Black Panther Party

Historical Context Essay

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The Black Panther Party, extant from October 1966 until the early 1980s, epitomised the increasingly radical tenor of late 1960s civil rights. The Party embodied many aspects of the developing freedom struggle – a growing desire for militant action, a campaign for political and social equality, and an ethos based around profound reassessment of oneself and one’s relationship to the community. The Panthers’ seemingly contradictory blending of violent imagery with a rhetoric of community support has proved challenging for historians; to understand the Party’s complex composition, it is therefore imperative to first understand its origins.

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in October 1966, in Oakland, California as an outgrowth of the Alabama-based Lowndes County

3183 words

Citation: Torrubia, Rafael. "The Black Panther Party". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 March 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=16295, accessed 19 March 2024.]

16295 The Black Panther Party 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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