In the 1960’s, oppressed African-Americans pushed for the progression of the civil rights movement. It wasn’t until mid 1960’s that the term Black Power became quite popular, as the purpose of the organization spread. Stokely Carmichael’s speech, “Black Power”, quickly inspired countless young African-American. Stokely Carmichael’s speech inspired an abundance of African-Americans to take action and fight for what they deserve. Carmichael uses the Vietnam War, a call for black pride, and the issue of white supremacy. These various subjects contain numerous examples in order to portray Carmichael’s main points and motivate countless citizens to take action. The Vietnam War was a heavily controversial war for American citizens of all skin colors.

The Vietnam War was one of the most heavily talked about topics during the civil rights movement. During the mid 1960’s, the United States Military drafted a large amount of young men. Carmichael speaks in depth about the unfair treatment of African-American soldiers. Carmichael says, “We can easily say that anyone fighting in the war in Vietnam is nothing but a black mercenary, and that's all he is” (320). Without representation back home, the African-Americans are merely just paid soldiers to go overseas and fight for their country. They do not have much if any say once becoming a mercenary. Not only do they not have true representation back home, but African-Americans also do not receive a burial in the United States. The lack of respect given to the African-American soldiers is truly disgraceful, as they are treated with almost no value as humans. “African-Americans made up around 13 percent of the total army, but they counted for 25 percent of the deaths” (PBS). This proves that African-Americans were treated extremely poorly. They would often be sent on more dangerous and hazardous missions often resulting in death. African-Americans frequently were discriminated against by their fellow White soldiers. The ways in which African-Americans were mistreated goes to show that discrimination continued even during the war. Carmichael’s reference to the mercenaries provides an example of inequality in American, thus motivating African-Americans to take action. The reason for the inequality began with the fact that the Vietnam War was the first fully integrated deployment of troops into war. African-Americans were no longer seen as unfit for war. Overall, the way Stokely Carmichael emphasizes the treatment of African-American soldiers in the Vietnam war progresses the civil rights. Carmichael was also able to inspire through the use of the term black power.

The term “Black Power” was used as a rallying point for many African-Americans. The discrimination toward African-Americans inspired Carmichael to call for a more effective strategy to combating discrimination. He came up with a doctrine that opposed the movement of nonviolence at the time. Black power suggestions for African-Americans to fight back, and it has to do with the threat of fighting back if they have to. Carmichael also references that the whites should be accountable for their own persecution of African-Americans. He says, “It’s time that the people who are supposed to be defending their position do that. That's white people. They ought to start defending themselves as to why they have oppressed and exploited us” (316). Carmichael calls for African-Americans to step up and make the whites accountable for their actions. The term black power often caused whites to have fear. The civil rights movement quickly changed from a peaceful movement to a movement with the threat of violence. Some whites changed their views because of the essence of fear that entered the movement. Black power was seen as a negative connotation towards whites. Stokely Carmichael explained that African-Americans need to take a personal stand for what rights they are entitled to. He believes that African-Americans should know exactly what they should be able to do as he says, “I know I can live anyplace I want to live. It is white people across this country who are incapable of allowing me to live where I want to live. You need a civil rights bill, not me. I know I can live where I want to live” (315). He explains how important it is for the African Americans to believe what they deserve as a citizen of the United States of America. Carmichael speaks of the unity needed in order for the movement to be successful. He truly wants the black community to come together and rally towards the progression of the civil rights movement. Thus, Carmichael exemplifies the term black power in order to rally the African-Americans to support, but he also suggests the dismissal of white power.

White supremacy was a major problem that Stokely Carmichael addressed during his speech. He often referenced the fact that whites suppressed the freedom that each and every man is born with. The whites continuously hold back African-Americans in their ability to exercise their civil rights. Therefore, Carmichael explains the need for change, “Now, then, in order to understand white supremacy, we must dismiss the fallacious notion that white people can give anybody their freedom. No man can give anybody his freedom. A man is born free,” (314-315). This shows that whites are not necessarily in control of who is allowed to be free and who is not. Each human being is born with the same rights every other human being, so the whites should not have the ability to limit the rights of another race. African-Americans should be able to attain powerful positions in their communities and workplaces. He calls for the African-Americans to step up and challenge the white supremacy of the nation. Carmichael’s speech is often considered the second most motivational and inspirational speech in Civil Rights history. Thus, all of these arguments inspire the African-Americans to develop the civil rights movement.

In conclusion, Stokely Carmichael presents various convincing points that inspire African-Americans to push for change. The Vietnam War introduces an aspect of unfairness for African-American troops. Also, the term black power creates the notion that African-Americans have the same rights as whites. Lastly, Carmichael calls the end of white supremacy across the country in order to allow for African-Americans to have full rights as a human being. Stokely Carmichael utilizes numerous concepts that express the need for change and encourage African-Americans to advance the civil rights movement in many ways.
