
The 1960’s was a bittersweet time for African American in the United States.  The Civil Rights act was passed in 1964, ending Legal Segregation.  Although Segregation ended, African Americans were not always treated as equals in society.  Just because laws say one can’t treat people differently because of the way they look, doesn’t mean one can simply change the heart of racist people.  Many people grew tired of the mistreatment of black people due simply to the color of their skin.  These same people were upset by the fact that African Americans still did not have all the same rights that white people had.  Society revolted and it was no longer through peaceful means, it was through violent opposition.  Stokely Carmichael talks about Americans reactions to the unjust treatment of African Americans in society.  In Stokely Carmichael's “Black Power” Speech he talks about how Blacks and Whites need to stand up together against anyone who does not treat African Americans as equals in society.   In order to fully understand the historical context of Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” Speech it is important to understand the shift from non-violent protests to the violent protests of the Black Power movement in 1966.   

In his “Black Power” speech, Carmichael calls on African Americans and Whites to exhibit an alternative form of opposition different from the peaceful protests of the past to those trying to hold back African Americans in Society.  Carmichael Says “Now, then, we want to touch on nonviolence because we see that again as the failure of white society to make nonviolence work.” (322).  In order to understand why Stokely Carmichael is talking about some other option rather than peacefully protesting injustice, one has to understand the shift of non-violent protests to the violent Protests of the Black Power Movement.  Carmichael is calling for some other form of opposition to non-violent protests because these types of protests  are not working anymore.  This is due to the fact that the government and people in society still have racist sentiments towards black people and they do not want to allow African Americans to obtain even more rights after the end of Legal Segregation (than they already have).  One would not understand why Carmichael is calling for some other option of opposition, if they didn’t understand why non-violent protests stopped working in America after the Civil Rights movement.  

It is not odd for Carmichael to be discussing some other form of opposition; this was happening all over America at this time.  Although it is not certain what type of opposition Carmichael is calling for in his Speech, organizations like the SNCC and the Black Panther party were calling for violent resistance due to the fact that peaceful protests were not working anymore.  Civil rights activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who advocated for peaceful protests were very different from people like Malcolm X who believed violence was the only way to advance the African American civil rights cause.  Through analyzing the historical context of the time one can see why Carmichael is inclined to call for some other form of resistance.  In an Article titled “Black Power” and the US Civil Rights Movement Philip G. Altbach states that the “Civil rights movement has responded to its failure to achieve complete racial equality by an increased militancy.  In many cases this has meant response to the new slogan of “Black power.” (2).  This quote encompases the reasons why many Americans are calling for other forms of opposition like Stokely Carmichael.  Altbach is saying that African Americans and White Americans who feel upset by the fact that blacks are not completely equal to white Americans after the end of the civil rights movement are shifting from non-violent protest to violent/militant protest to force a sense of equality amongst the races.  We are not certain if Carmichael is calling for violence, but we are certain that Carmichael is like many civil rights activists (growing tired of waiting for nonviolence not to work).   

The Black Power movement was a movement in which African Americans and White Americans rose up violently in order to demand equality amongst the races because non-violent protests ceased to work after the end of Segregation caused by the Civil Rights movement.  One of the positions held by members of the Black Power movement is that African Americans must do for themselves and not rely on White People to help them do anything in society.  Carmichael states “If we are going to eliminate that for the generation that comes after us, then black people must be seen in positions of power, doing and articulating for themselves, for themselves.” (319).  In this quote Stokely Carmichael is explaining one of the reasons why African Americans are beginning to become militant.  Stokely Carmichael explains that black people often question whether or not they are equal to whites because they feel like whites are always trying to help them (because the majority of the government is run by whites).  Carmichael is expressing that he believes the only way for African Americans to become equals in society is for them to take care of business on their own (without the help of whites).  

The ideal of self sufficiency amongst African Americans was becoming much more common during the Black Power movement.  Many Black Power advocates believe that African Americans need to revolt against white society that is holding them down and the first step is to cut all ties to the white society that feels it is so much better than African Americans.  Altbach says that “Black power is the result of a desire for effective political power for Negroes and a conviction that Negroes must be more self-reliant if they are to achieve their justified place in American society.” (2).  This quote shows the same sentiment that Carmichael holds.  Carmichael believes that African Americans must separate themselves from whites in order to become prosperous and become equals in society.  

The black power movement promotes the ideal that African Americans need to take a stand for themselves which is a key aspect of the motivation to shift from non-violent protests to violent protests.  Stokely Carmichael states “We have been tired of trying to prove things to white people.  We are tired of trying to explain to white people that we’re not going to hurt them.  We are concerned with getting things we want, the things that we have to have to be able to function.  The question is, Will white people overcome their racism and allow for that to happen in this country?  If that does not happen, brothers and sisters, we have no choice but to say very clearly, “Move over, or we’re going to move on over you.” (326).  This quote shows how Stokely Carmichael is taking a stand.  After years of cooperating with the government and white people African Americans have become tired.  African Americans have become tired of having to explain themselves through non-violent protests and sit ins.  Stokely Carmichael is saying how African Americans need to say that enough is enough.  If African Americans are still not being seen as equals in society they need to raise up.  They need to say enough is enough; if we aren’t seen as equals in society from now on we will have to fight and move on over the people that stand in our way.   

In order to understand Carmichael's call for African Americans to take a stand one must understand the historical context of the 1960’s.  The shift from non-violent protests was described by James H Laue in his paper titled The Changing Character of Negro Protest.  Laue states that “Year by year and month by month, Negroes have been growing more militant, more immediatist, more fed up with limited success and tokenism.”  This quote in short wraps up the reason why African Americans began protesting violently.  They were fed up with the fact that they were not having any more success at getting more rights through protesting non-violently.  Although we are not certain whether Carmichael is calling for violence or not, we are certain that Carmichael is calling for resistance against anyone standing in the way of African Americans trying to better themselves in society.    

When reading Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” speech it is crucial to understand the shift from non-violent protests of the early Civil Rights Movement to the violent protests of the Black Power movement in 1966.  Stokely Carmichael calls for an alternative form of opposition different from the peaceful protests of the past to white people (trying to suppress African Americans), because nonviolent protests have ceased to work in society.  Carmichael is calling for self sufficiency because one of the ideals behind the Black Power movement is becoming completely separate from white society.  Becoming completely separate from white society is a key aspect of the motivation to shift from non-violent protests to violent protests.  Carmichael takes this ideal seriously and he believes that if white people still try to hold African Americans back even after they try to become self sufficient, they should oppose them.  African Americans and Whites rose up violently in order to demand equality amongst the races because non-violent protests no longer worked.  
