Taking a stand on something important to an immense group of people and bringing new ideas to spread awareness for the cause is what the civil rights activists were trying to accomplish in the mid 1900s. Stokely Carmichael did just that in his fight for Civil Rights during the 1960s. At this time in America issues were brewing over segregation and racism, causing a widespread of actions to follow suit from riots to walks for peace. Carmichael did not focus his speeches on condemning the white people for their racist actions and words. He used his own words to start a movement known as "Black Power," which sparked a sense of unity and political liberation that enlightened more background and understanding of the historical time period. 

Throughout the 1950s and the 1960s, civil rights were a major controversy in America; a serious matter that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. Several people stood up to fight against racism, all in their own unique ways like walks for peace, speeches at various types of communities, and even violence. In the speech "Black Power" Carmichael approaches the civil rights issue differently compared to the other activists. Carmichael's approach was not the typical rant dwelling on the harsh treatment black people faced or the unjust acts committed by white people. His approach was arguing that the racism problem the country was currently facing was occurring because of politics within the country and government. A major argument Carmichael continuously brought up was the Vietnam War. He shed light to the fact that all the soldiers risking and losing their lives for America, are the people in the country who are treated the worst. Carmichael stresses the issue that "anyone fighting in the war in Vietnam is nothing but a black mercenary" (Carmichael 254). The ratio of black soldiers completely outweighed the ratio of white soldiers, the ones fighting and the ones who got killed. In an article examining the soldiers during the Vietnam War, David Maurasse agrees with Carmichael and says "black soldiers were increasingly on the front lines, and subsequently, they numbered disproportionately among the casualties" (Maurrasse 586). Maurrasse reveals the problem of the vast amount of soldiers fighting for a country that once was not considered theirs. This was seen as a problem to Carmichael because he said America was fighting the Vietnamese to solely gain more power and become one of the wealthiest countries. He made America seem domineering and scary saying it is "a nation of thieves" (Carmichael 254). Since America's existence, the people have been taking what is not theirs like the black people and making them slaves, and still the people continue to try and take control over other countries by using the same people they enslaved. While Carmichael had a central focus on the Vietnam War, he also had another central, strong focus on unity just like other advocates such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X.

The slogan "black power" became extremely powerful through Carmichael. He wanted it to stand for much more than white and blacks coming together. It was about the blacks coming together instead and making their own name for themselves. In a reflection on the "Black Power" movement, Peniel Joseph said "black power represented political unity through robust self determination" (Joseph 10). Carmichael wanted the black people to come together as a powerful community and be strong all on its own. He wanted them to make their own self worth, and "to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations" (Joseph 10). The civil rights movement drastically changed with the ideas of Carmichael because it no longer was about the white people including the black people, but rather the black people making their own name for themselves and standing strong together as one. The black power movement brought numerous diverse cultures together to ban as one and fight for something important to them. Carmichael helped spark a revolutionary movement through his powerful speeches. It gives the historical research a new understanding by displaying the fact that the fight was for something much more than black and white equality.

Most of the civil rights activists at the time were fighting for white and black equality, but Carmichael was fighting for much more than that. He was fighting for blacks to be treated with respect and be accepted into society, but he also stood up for the other races, cultures, and nations. Carmichael referenced how Americans have always been taking what is not theirs. This correlates to the history of how America originated. The founders came onto the land, claimed it theirs, along with everything and everyone on it. They took over the Native American's homeland and forced their power and beliefs upon them. Years later, the middle passage became popular and the Americans would go to Africa and take the people out of their own homes and countries and bring them back to America to work for them. Later, Americans had slaves and even when slavery was abolished they did not stop treating the black people or minorities any different. Carmichael stands up for all the people and groups negatively impacted by the actions and decisions of America. Through his speeches, Carmichael fights for all these people who have been taken advantage of and forced to change their ways of life. He also mentions issues like poverty and how people are seen as bad if they live in poverty, and the country will not do anything to help them (Carmichael 258). Carmichael was doing much more than fighting for equality, he was bringing awareness to the detrimental issues within the country. This can be related to back to when he mentioned the Vietnam War. He said America continues to go into other countries and take what is not theirs like the people's land and religion. Carmichael says that is not America's right or responsibility to do that, but they do it anyway. America gets referenced as "greedy" and he uses that to strengthen his argument (Carmichael). 

While Carmichael put up a strong fight for political and social unity, he still wanted the unity of the black community. He wanted the black people to come together and form their own communities and not have to rely on the white people. That is what Carmichael meant by "black power." He expressed the strong need for people to not break apart due to racism, but rather come together and help one another out. Unity was the central message from Carmichael and other civil rights activists like Malcolm X. Carmichael and Malcolm X were unlike other activists like Martin Luther King Jr. King wanted the whites to treat the blacks as equals, but Carmichael and Malcolm X wanted separate unity. They did not want to be included in the lives and activities of the white people; they wanted the black people to include each other and created their own freedom and independence.    

Through Carmichael's words he was able to assist the spark in the revolutionary movement of Civil Rights. He used his words to bring light to situations that were not usually talked about like the Vietnam War and poverty. The arguments of Carmichael brought more light to history at that time in the 1960s when the Civil Rights movement was at its peak. His speeches connected and brought more sense to the historical events of that time and even before it. Carmichael was able to put up a good fight for a few years but over time other people overtook his place. Even though he only had a few years of political fame, Carmichael's strong sense of unity helped to reform and change America for the better.

