By any means necessary.
o Malcolm X had a powerful influence on the BPP. The BPP grew a substantial amount of influence from his ideas, speeches, and beliefs. After Malcolm's death, the BPP lived and used Malcolm's philosophy “By any means necessary” to rationalize their methods to getting people involved in the revolution. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale believed in Malcolm's policy of armed self-defense and paved the Party around that policy. Malcolm also influenced the BPP by helping to educate the black communities and by giving them self-pride of being black. The BPP also held the same beliefs as Malcolm X about the educational system; about how it has been whitened and depriving African-American students from learning the true realities of the history and culture. To the BPP, Malcolm X was some kind of Civil Rights Prophet that they followed and worshiped and found success to take on a revolution.
Public enemy number one.
• The BPP drew in unwanted attention from the FBI. J Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI. Hoover called the BPP a national treat to society and terrorist. Hoover said that the BPP was “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country“. The FBI launched an illegal secret organization to do whatever it took to blow the BPP out of existence. And so there was the birth of COINTELPRO against black extremist. After four years of trying to disassemble the party, COINTELPRO was exposed and discontinued. But, the fight to end the BPP was not over. Large law enforcement groups went out and arrested and murdered large amounts of BPP members all over the country. The party and Police forces held many shootouts between each other. Many were wounded and killed during the war.
The End of a Revolution.
• In the late 1970s- 1980s, the BPP was slowly getting smaller. With financial problems and only 24 panther members left, the party was making no more money for the leader Huey Newton to keep the organization going. He was facing charges, which left him with $600,000 in debt. So Newton Disbanded the BPP. In the late 1980s, during the times and bad influences of Reganomics, aids, drugs, and gang violence. Huey Newton was killed with part of the legacy of the Black Panther Party.
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