

Throughout history the Black Power Movement has grown, and evolved, over time. The Civil Rights Movement is taught in school starting at a very young age, however the Black Power Movement is often not taught as consistently in schools. However, as Joseph notes, “discussing the era in tandem with civil rights struggles provides students with historical and cultural context for understanding the race riots, urban crisis, and social unrest that characterized much of the 1960s and 1970s.” (30, Joseph) The two movements overlap so much one should not be taught without the other being mentioned. Also the Black Power Movement is a “psychological giant step forward” for blacks. (547, MacDonald) By looking at these two articles, Black Power and Civil Rights, Black Power, and American Democracy one can see that the black power movement has changed over time and is equally as important as the Civil rights movement, because of this the black power movement has become more prominent in the past years compared to the civil rights movement which seems to have taken a back seat. 

The article Black Power is about black power and what it means. The article talks about locus of control, both internal and external. In an internal locus of control, one’s own actions affect the outcome on an event. In an external locus of control fate plays a role in the outcome, kind of like karma, and one’s own actions are less important. The article states that Internals came from homes where love was present and the family was connected. This is unlike the Externals who came from disconnected families. The article discusses locus of control as it relates to the riots that happened in the 1960’s. The article finds two experiments, one states that in the beginning of the riots, only Externals were likely to participate because they felt less connected. The other experiment states that later on Internals started to participate. The Internals had been taught not to fight, as it was bad, but because the riots were successful eventually the Internals eventually joined in. 

From these two experiments, two theories evolved. The first one is the “alienation-powerless theory” (552) and the second one is the “blocked opportunity theory” (552). “Alienation-powerless theory” is the theory that people who are alienated from society are more likely to be involved in rioting because they feel powerless, but joining the riots gives them the feeling of power. “Blocked opportunity theory” states that rioting is more likely to be done by people with high aspirations, who have little opportunity. This is because the riots started to work and show progress, so the internals began to start and participate, instead of staying silent. 

In the beginning of the “civil rights” movement, peace was the main focus and rioting was seen as negative. However, after the rioting began to work and show progress more joined in on the rioting. The rioting was seen as part of the Black power movement and not the civil rights movement. Which is why the black power movement is seen as more negative compared to the civil rights movement. This article is great way to describe black power and how it has evolved over the years and more people are joining. More people are willing to stand in the riots and fight for what they believe in. This shows the evolution of the black power movement. 

The second article, Civil Rights, Black Power, and American Democracy, is about how the Black Power Movement is equally as important as any other movement in history. This document states that the Black Power Movement needs to be taught along side as the Civil Rights Movement and other historical movements. Figures in the Black Power Movement, like Malcom X, need to be taught in schools just as the civil right leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. 

The article states that these two movements overlapped so much and that they both helped to shape the time period, “reframes the history of civil rights and Black Power by illustrating the way in which these movements intersected and overlapped.” (30, Joseph) without both of these movements overlapping the time period would be a lot different. While the civil rights movement was needed to keep the peace, the Black power movement was needed to have the violence. Without the peace and the violence, the time would have been much different. Both violence and peace are needed to get things done. 

In the beginning only the externals fought and used violence as a way to get their message across, later the internals joined in because the violence was working. However, some people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and other like him choose to stay peaceful the whole time. Then there were those like Malcom X and his followers who knew that violence was also needed to get their point across. 

Over time different faces have taken over for the black power movement. Originally Malcom X was seen as the leader of the black power movement however recently such celebrities as Beyoncé have taken over. This shows the growth of the black power movement and how more people with power have taken over. The black power movement is stronger then the civil rights movement right now. Over the year’s people of all races, religions, and political backgrounds have learned that rioting is very powerful and can work in favor of what is worth fighting for. 

The Black Power Movement has been almost forgotten, it is not taught in schools like the Civil Rights Movement. When asked, most students tend to think of this movement as negative and violent, as opposed to the peacefulness of the Civil Rights Movement. However, the Black Power Movement is equally as important in shaping this time period as the Civil Rights Movement. “Black Power's reach was global, spanning continents and crossing oceans, yet its iconic personalities and organizations remain shadowy, almost forgotten figures, in spite of their vital role in shaping still-raging debates about race, war, and democracy.” (30, Joseph)

Without the black power movement, the civil rights movement might not have been as strong as it was. In not giving the the black power movement all the fame and glory it deserves, Americans are forgetting a huge piece of history that helps define who they are. Not only is the black power movement important in American but it is important across the whole world. 

Over time the black power movement has changed and evolved into what it is today. The civil rights movement has died down over the years however, the black power movement has only gotten stronger. While civil rights are still a big issue most of the laws have been passed to put them in place, now it is the time to watch them happen. The black power movement is needed to help these law stay in place and be followed. 
