Civil rights have been one of the most controversial issues humans have faced for thousands of years. In simple terms, civil rights mean that every person is supposed to be treated equally in all areas of life under the law. A common theme of American history is that white people felt they were entitled to have civil rights and total protection under the law. Starting in the early eighteenth century and finally ending in the 1960’s, white people possessed most of the power in America. Many groups of people suffered throughout this time period such as Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanics. The race most commonly associated with civil rights issues in America is African Americans. African Americans have been the primary group of people in this country that have been denied basic human rights for centuries. They were enslaved in America until after the Civil War ended. African Americans were not granted total protection under the law until a hundred years later in the late 1960’s. The Civil Rights Movement during the 60’s eventually led to African American’s freedom under the law in America. “Black Power” is a speech given during the Civil Rights Movement by Stokely Carmichael. It is one of the most powerful speeches given during that time period. Carmichael explains the hardships of African American’s in a white society and how they have been treated unfairly for so long. “Black Power” is a powerful speech that encompasses the racial divide in the 1960’s and throughout American history by showing that white people had the power of the law behind them and African Americans therefore had no real power to implement real change.

Carmichael explains many of the problems in America in regards to civil rights in his speech. One of the main points Carmichael brings up is that no man can give another man his freedom. Carmichael states, “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). This quote explains the general idea of the Civil Rights Movement in America. African American’s knew that they should be able to have the same rights as white people but white people did not grant them those rights. White people held the vast majority of the political power in the United States at the time which meant they had the power to oppress African Americans “legally.” Although people would try and speak out against white power, any sort of movement was usually shot down by new laws being made. Carmichael describes white supremacy as running rampant. White Americans at the local, state, and national levels had no check on their political power which made them “supreme” under the law to African Americans and all other races. Carmichael then says, “A man is born free” but white people took African American’s freedom away when they passed laws to oppress them. The lawful way in which white people oppressed African Americans was through the “separate but equal” decision in the famous Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court case in the late 19th century. It was deemed constitutional for white people and African Americans to be segregated in public as long as they had equal facilities and opportunities (“Separate but Equal” 3). Obviously, white people used this power and segregated every aspect of life in America. White people and African Americans were just as divided in the 20th century as they were during the slavery years due to segregation laws. This clearly ties back to what Carmichael was saying in his speech. Although African Americans knew they deserved to be treated equally under the law, the white lawmakers of America prevented that from happening. 

Later in Carmichael’s speech, he explains the problem in society does not have to do with African Americans, but with white people. African Americans knew they should be free to do whatever they wanted to do without any repercussions. Carmichael explains to the audience, “Every time I tried to go into a place they stopped me. So some boys had to write a bill to tell that white man, ‘He’s a human being; don’t stop him.’ That bill was for that white man, not for me. I knew it all the time.” (315). In this quote, Carmichael explains the process of how African Americans gained their rights in America. It was an extremely slow process because white people refused to accept that African Americans deserved the same rights as them. Most white people could not understand a world where white people had the same rights as African Americans. As Carmichael mentions, the bills written were not for African Americans, but for white people. African Americans did not gain their freedom and equality overnight. This trend carried on throughout the years and was a very enduring process for all Americans. The civil rights movement was such a long process because as one bill was passed guaranteeing African Americans more rights, white people repeatedly needed to be reminded that everyone was equal regardless of the color of their skin. White people did not understand a world where African Americans were equal to them. 

Carmichael discusses how most white people did not understand a world where African Americans were equal to them because the entire American system was built on racism. Carmichael mentions this in the speech and discusses what it means for the entire system to be built on racism. As mentioned before, white people ruled from the beginning of America’s time. They wrote the laws and established norms in America which resulted in the entire system in America having prejudice and an overwhelming hate for African Americans. African Americans were looked down upon whether it was a public diner or at universities for example. White people were taught that they were better than African Americans and this was enforced from America’s institutions down to public places. The prejudice and hate was passed down from generation to generation which resulted in the norm of racism in America. People were insulted and scorned if they sympathized with African Americans. This connects to the quote mentioned above because the law changes in America were implemented to change how white people behaved towards African Americans. Obviously the entire system in America needed to change and the only power significant enough to end racism in America was the law.

In the end, the law was the only power strong enough to make a lasting impact on American society. Carmichael discussed the processes in which he believed America should change in his speech. First of all, he explains, “A new society must be born.” (318). Carmichael means that in order for change to occur in America, the old American society obviously needed to come to an end. The old society in America had generations of racism and prejudice. The biggest problem with the old society in America was African American’s did not have the power to start a change because the law itself was racist. African American’s held no political power nor did they have a chance to get elected. For example, before the end of the Civil Rights Movements in congress, there were only 26 African Americans to serve in office from 1789-1969 (“People Search”, 2). The lack of African American Congressmen clearly led to very few civil rights act being passed. Since white people possessed the large majority of power in America, African Americans did not have a voice what so ever in the lawmaking process. This obviously made it difficult to even encourage change in America because African Americans did not have any real legal power. Carmichael then goes onto explain, “black people must be seen in positions of power, doing and articulating for themselves, for themselves.” (319). Once African Americans were seen in positions of power, they would truly have the power to make a change in America. Also, the positions of power would show that African Americans can be as good of a leader as any other person can be.    

“Black Power” explains the racist roots in which America was established and how racially divided the country truly was during the 1960’s. Carmichael discusses the idea that “A man is born free” and how white people took away that right for hundreds of years in America. He then goes onto explain that African Americans knew they had the same rights as white people, but white people needed the law to tell them that. Since America was built on racism, white people could not imagine a world where African Americans were equal to them. Lastly, Carmichael explained that a new society built on equality needed to be born in America with African Americans in positions of real power. The civil rights movement had a lasting impact and people such as Carmichael lead the way to ending the racial divide in America. 
