“Some Abstract Thing Called Freedom”: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Legacy of the Black Panther Party

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

Long dismissed as little more than an angry reaction to the slow pace of progress associated with the civil rights movement, groups and individuals associated with the Black Power "phase" of the movement stand accused as "prophets of rage" whose lack of a moral center and violent posturing helped to curtail the civil rights era. Given the popular civil rights master narrative, Pearson's account of the party's violent history conformed to historical memory that blames Black Power militants for replacing nonviolent social movements with urban rioting and organized violence.

Comments

Copyright 2008 Oxford University Press for Organization of American Historians Magazine of History. A link to full text has been provided for authorized subscribers.

Publication Title

Magazine of History

Published Citation

Williams, Yohuru. "“Some Abstract Thing Called Freedom”: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Legacy of the Black Panther Party." Magazine of History. Volume 22, no 3, July 2008; 16–21. DOI: 10.1093/maghis/22.3.16

DOI

10.1093/maghis/22.3.16

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