LAW 725SEM - African American Legal History: The “Black Power” Revolt

Beginning in 1619, when the first enslaved African was brought to the British colonies in North America, blacks have resisted slavery and oppression in all its forms, and have sought freedom and self-determination. Integration was the basic strategy of the Civil Rights Movement, led by the NAACP, Martin Luther King, Jr., and legions of others; this strategy was dominant from the 1940s through the 1960s, with roots running at least 100 years before then. Then, in 1966, a group of radical young people broke off from the mainstream Civil Rights Movement, raising a new slogan: Black Power! The Black Power Movement, the focus of this seminar, included the Student National Coordinating Committee (NCC) and the Black Panther Party, among other organizations. Antecedents included the differing philosophies and institutions of Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, A. Phillip Randolph and the Nation of Islam, the latter of which produced the fiery, brilliant Malcolm X. What have been the key features of the Black Power Movement and Black Nationalism, more generally? What tactical and rhetorical challenges are posed by the surge of white nationalism in recent years? In what ways is the contemporary Movement for Black Lives continuous with the Black Power Movement, and what are some of the key distinctions? Through books, articles, and films, the seminar will explore these questions.

Credits: 3