"Total liberty for black people or total destruction for America." The Black Panther Party, founded in Oakland, California in 1966, was an African American revolutionary group that took a violent approach to fighting for civil rights. Its founders, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, based the party on the theory that policemen were the main oppressive force in the black community. Newton and Seale formed a disillusioned idea about having to take drastic measures in order to achieve their goals of equality. Instead of encouraging blacks to fight with determination and hope, the Party encouraged fighting for their justice and freedom by turning to political disobedience ("Radical Politics: Black Power" 325).
             The 1960s of America is often looked back on as a time of political and racial chaos. Blacks felt oppressed by a dominated "White-America", and felt deprived of their self-justice and rights as citizens. Finally, the blacks felt the need to address these chronic issues that robbed them of their dignity. Leaders such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X spoke out against racism, and cried out for peace among all people throughout the nation. They and other leaders encouraged blacks to stand up for themselves. Stokely Carmichael, a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) came up with the phrase "Black Power", which became a popular term that was widely used in protests and riots that took place ("Black Power" 1). But the civil rights movement was too slow to satisfy much of the black population. They were especially enraged after the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965. The movement of civil rights suddenly turned to anger and violence, and the Black Panther Party was formed ("Black Panther Party" 1).
             Huey Newton, the main founder of the Black Panther Party, saw that riots were happening throughout many of the ghettos of large cities ("Black Panther Party" 1). He and Seale urged blacks to create a sense of self-...