Why did the Black Power movement develop?
The pace of change was too slow, King was prepared to wait for his tactics to work. They believed that US society was fundamentally white and that nothing would change it. There was growing interest in Islam, which was seen as a black religion. There was a rejection of the idea of integration and in some cases a demand for a separate black society. Malcolm X was a leader of the Black Muslims and founded the Nation of Islam. He advocated violence as a means of self-defence for blacks. Stokeley Carmichael wanted to set up a separate black society. He became the leader of the SNCC in 1966 and turned it into a violent organisation. The Black Panthers, founded in 1966, wanted to start a race war against white Americans. What effects did Black Power have? Riots broke out in many US cities. In 1965 there were serious riots in the Watts area of Los Angeles and 34 people died. There were further riots in the next three years in Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and New York. 1967 was the worst y
