y and stop their cause than violence was needed to keep their cause going. Some of the major beliefs and techniques of the Panther party were self-defense, which for them meant being heavily armed at all times; mass organization, which meant serving the people; and using propaganda, which meant spreading their message through newspapers, posters, leaflets, rallies, etc. For this movement the simple belief was that blacks have the right to defend themselves and will do so against anyone, including the police. Not all of the violence used by the Panthers was in self-defense. In fact the Panthers were known to attack police officers upon sight. The Black Panthers were not afraid of the police and would often get into shootouts with them. That is why the Black Liberation Movement was a lot more violent than the Civil Rights Movement (Acoli). The non-violent techniques of the Civil Rights activists helped in getting their issues taken seriously and seen for what they were. It made the movement seen more dignified and concrete. Historian Kris Small says, It was almost as though Black Americans were saying no matter what was done to them they would not fall to the level of their oppressors and retaliate with violence. Many of the techniques used in this movement did exactly what they were meant to do. The sit-ins in restaurants basically Page 4forced the owners to start serving blacks because they realized that they would not just go away. The boycotts of buses achieved a lot because the bus company was losing a ton of money and customers so they had to change their rules. This type of protest brought a bout a whole lot of changes in America, the most significant probably being the Civil Rights Acts (Small).The Black Liberation Movement of armed revolution did not prove as effective as its predecessor. Even though they did some good for the people of the black community, it was usually quickly forgotten. They would run things ...
