The allowance of freedom from one man to another is an illogical idea that empowers racial supremacy, and dictates that not all people were born equal. Freedom of choice is a gift given to all people by God, and it can never be taken away by anyone. Every human being is born with a sense of freedom and knows that no one should be able to take that from them. However, for many generations, both in this country and around the world, people have been taken as slaves and their freedom has been ripped from their lives with brutal force. In the text “Black Power” by Stokely Carmichael, the point that all people are born free is emphasized by elaborating on the fact that only white people see black people as inferior. When a black person is born, they know that they are free, but the white man does not, so he takes his freedom away without any real power to do so. This mindset held by white people is the argument used for many civil rights issues that occurred during the 1960’s. During these times, integration became a largely debated topic and seemed to be the only way to lessen the tension between different races. For white people, integration was a good thing that was thought to empower black people and allow them to assimilate to white American culture. For black people, integration was related to oppression and forced cultural views onto them that they didn’t necessarily agree with. Integration is not the way that different races should interact with each other, freedom of choice is the only way to correct these issues. 

In Carmichael’s opening statement he expresses that he will be running for president of the United States in 1968. He pauses and explains that the only reason this is an unrealistic claim is because he was not born in the United States. He says this in a joking manner to lighten the mood and get the audience to realize how messed up the world is. Nothing was said about him being black and unable to run for president, because in his mind he knew that he was a free man and had the same rights as every other American. During this period, the civil rights movement was the major topic of any conversation. The black population of America was tired of being walked on and oppressed by the white supremacists. Many civil rights groups, such as the Black Panther Party and the SNCC, were created to push reform and encourage the creation of new institutions in America. Carmichael was a leader of the SNCC and pushed for equality in every aspect of life. By creating new institutions, integration would no longer be used as a tool to strengthen white supremacy. Instead it would give all citizens equal choice in where they work, live, and attend school. This would allow all citizens, both black and white, to feel that they are equal, by giving them equal opportunity. Carmichaels speech was intended to create justice for all and freedom for those who were wrongfully denied it. By moving just a few black people into all white institutions, the black people lost their freedom of choice and were still seen as minorities and inferior. The citizens were almost forced to assimilate, even if they didn’t want to. As Carmichael said “we were never fighting for the right to integrate, we were fighting against white supremacy.” (314) This statement expresses his disagreement with integration, and that the only way to attain freedom for all is to allow free choice.

Even after the bill of rights had amendments 13, 14, and 15 added to it, racism and discrimination still existed in America. These amendments granted black people similar rights that all white Americans already possessed. They were added so that black people could vote and be free to go where they wanted to. This was a major advancement in equality movements, however for many black people, it was a factor that proved white supremacy to be a huge problem. Essentially these amendments were added so that white people knew how to act around black people. It granted black people freedom, but that freedom was already given to black people by God when they were born. The amendments proved to have no positive impact due to the civil rights movement occurring some 80 years later. The reason Carmichael wrote this speech was to show all people the problems that these amendments still did not address. No person should have to be granted freedom when it is a natural gift given to all people by God. For the black man the amendments were rules for white people. For example, the fifteenth amendment to the constitution states that black people can vote. Black people knew they could vote already, they didn’t need someone to tell them that it was okay. However, white people denied this truth and wouldn’t allow black people vote, sometimes even harming them. The government had to put out a law that granted this right and gave back some freedom that was rightfully theirs. In conclusion, every single civil rights bill that has been passed in this country was made for white people. Because black people already knew they could do the things that the bills said they could do. Freedom isn’t just being able to vote, it is the absolute power to have free choice over all things. 

Another problem faced by civil rights activists was related to the Vietnam war. The draft typically collected young men who were not wealthy enough to pay off their draft selection. Unfortunately, the group of men that were always selected were young African American males, who came from poor families. Carmichael fought for these men and stated that unequal draft selections are made just because equal opportunity is not provided to all people. The military became a place full of black “mercenaries.” Essentially, young black men were forced to fight for a small amount of pay even if they did not agree with what they were fighting for. Many groups were not in favor of the war at all and wanted to diminish the draft for good. Carmichael agreed that the draft was not looking out for black people’s best interest and wanted it gone. He also was a strong supporter of ending the war and bringing the young men home to their families. Because he did not like how America was forcing democracy upon other countries even if they did not want to change their government. America was acting as a police state for the entire world. The only problem with this was America appointed herself as leader of all other countries. This can again be related to white supremacy, because in fact many Americans did think that they were superior to all other races and countries. Citizens and students all over the country protested the war, but how much could they change? All the power was held by the corrupt government officials, who made decisions that solely benefitted them. Carmichaels argument against the draft was like that of integration. He pushed for free thinking and decision making. 

For at the time racism was a huge opponent for many black people in America that challenged them in every aspect of their life every day. The fear of being ridiculed by other white people forced African Americans to stay in the shadows and to cope with the harsh and unfair treatment that they were receiving. Carmichael was a relevant supporter of freedom for all people and is said to be a large contributor to the overall success of the civil rights movement. Without powerful reformers who were not afraid to go against the public’s view of what was acceptable there would be no reform in this country today. The legacy that is resonated through Carmichaels name will last forever and be known across the globe. In this period, not only were black people limited in their rights, they were also disrespected to the point that no human being should ever have to endure. The harsh treatment of people came from the color of their skin as if they were not human because they looked different. Racial inequality was a white man’s idea that led to violent acts of both parties and eventually caused a civil rights bill to be passed to end the madness. Knowledge of freedom was an unshared trait that only a few people could see. White people believed that they had the power to take and give freedom as they saw fit, but only God has the power to grant freedom to an individual. The creation of the civil rights bills allowed for a new understanding of freedom to be revealed to all those who denied it previously. Unfortunately, there is nothing that could be done about it other than calmly protest and hope for the best. Some of the more violent acts carried out by various racial groups came from an enduring lack of progression towards a new era. Freedom of choice is the ultimate freedom and is granted to all people at birth. This gift cannot be revoked and is everlasting. In fact, this was the way it was meant to be since the beginning of time.