Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” is a speech that was given at UC Berkley in 1966. It focuses on the racial inequality of the late 1900s in America and gives suggestions on how to fix it. Segregation was still a big part of the United States of America and represented what the country stood for and its values of the time period. As the years passed, many people began to realize that all humans are equal, although there were still few who did not agree with that statement. The black community grew tired of not being as free as the white people claimed that they were, because although they were no longer slaves, they were not given the same freedoms as white people. Carmichael’s entire speech gives empowerment to the black community and points out various flaws in the desegregation of the black and white races, which is influenced by the historical context of slavery and eventually segregation, both of which are important parts of the African American history.

The root of the civil rights movement is slavery of blacks and the idea that humans can be the property of other humans. Before America was even a country, black slaves were being traded and sold for money and other goods. Although they were not the only people that were ever enslaved, the entire race was targeted and viewed as one that was inferior to whites more often than any other race. It was even believed that the sole purpose of any black person was to be a slave. As the British began to colonize in America, the discovery of new crops was introduced, which attracted more immigrants, causing more and more blacks to be brought into the country. Galensonhas noted, “Introduction of a profitable staple crop raised the demand for labor and therefore tended to raise the level of immigration to the colony.” (Galenson 40). This shows the reason of the phenomenon at that time in America. The increase in immigration leads to the increase in demand of labor which then resulted in the increase of slaves in the colonies. The increase in slaves leads to an increase in industry. As that industry grew and more and more labor was required, whites began working the jobs that required more skill and slaves were forced to do anything else. The white workers were compensated for their work, but the slaves that were still legal property of their owners were not, solely because they were considered property and not human beings. Galenson says, “The result was perhaps more readily apparent where large numbers of skilled servants and unskilled slaves worked on a single plantation, but the same racial division of labor could be effected in regions of small farms where a skilled servant might be owned by one planter and rented out to others.” (41). This shows that while there were both whites and blacks working under wealthy white people, there was a clear divide in the races. This divide was made evident by the nature of their jobs and their relationships with the family they were working under. For example, a white servant would be treated with more respect than a black slave would. Given the knowledge that slaves are no longer a typical part of American culture today, it is evident that slavery was abolished and blacks began to be viewed more humanely than before, but there was still a long way to go in order to get the races to be equal in legal terms.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, giving insight on why desegregation was so important to the black community to argue that they were free from their former owners, if they were included in the group of millions of slaves that were free, but they were still largely separated from the rest society. The speech was given during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a nonviolent protest for first rate citizenship rights. He begins his speech with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves one hundred years earlier. He points out that while they were freed from slavery, “the Negro still is not free” (King 1). This means that blacks in America were no longer slaves, but they were still not equal to white people. Blacks at the time were segregated from whites in that they could not use the same bathrooms or water fountains as whites, along with plenty of other instances. A black person might not have been able to go into a certain store or restaurant just because there was a sign that said “White Only” on the front door. Martin Luther King Jr. goes on to explain his dream for the country and how he wishes the country could be someday. This dream is for blacks and whites to be completely equal in all aspects. This includes their right to citizenship along with the fact that they are humans, too. He addresses the racism of the southern states, pointing out that the only difference between whites and blacks is their skin tone and that it does not change the fact that they are both human beings. He also discusses the gratitude that will be felt when African Americans are truly free. This speech was very significant in history as it put a heavy load of pressure on the Kennedy administration, the part of government in control under John F. Kennedy’s presidency, in order to advance the civil rights legislation in Congress. 

“Black Power” was a speech given by Stokely Carmichael in 1966 at UC Berkley. He spoke of the Black Panther Party and the ideology of black people in society of that time period. He questions how valid white activists are for fighting black inequality in society. He also discusses what he believes is necessary in order to accomplish equality of all races that were present at the time in America. He gives various instances in which double standards take place such as the emphasis on nonviolence to black people, but not to whites that are actually being violent. He even mentions that if he fit the qualifications, he would run for president of the United States. His speech fits the same ideology of the previous sources because slavery was the most basic unit of the entire civil rights movement as a whole. If black people were never enslaved originally, there would be no inequality and no reason for the civil rights movement to have existed. The “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. obviously had a major influence on Carmichael’s speech because King’s speech was only three years before and focused heavily on similar viewpoints between the two, the only difference being that Carmichael was not against violence and King was. The topic of racial inequality in their time was a heavy issue and required a lot of effort and time in order to get the civil rights movement where it is today, which even still is argued as not far enough. Both of the references above gave a great influence on the speech given by Carmichael because of the historical context. 

In conclusion, the history of African Americans gives a great amount of influence on Carmichael’s speech, “Black Power.” The significance is that the way American society is today would not be the same if the past of African Americans never occurred. Slavery was the basis of the entire issue and the progress of getting blacks to become more equal to whites has been a very important part of this country’s culture and development.
