Fred Hampton and the Civil Rights Movement

The history of the United States consists of racial turmoil between African-American and white people. From the first African slaves to the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, these two groups of people have always clashed. The 1960s was the climax of the Civil Rights Movement with great leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X. The murder of Emmett Louis Till in 1955 and Rosa Parks’ refusal of giving up her seat on a bus for a white man on December 1st, 1955 propelled the Civil Rights Movement into the national spotlight. Out of all this racial tension, an organization emerged called the Black Panther Party for Self- Defense. One of its offices opened up in Chicago and a leader was born. One of Chicago’s most prominent civil rights leaders was Fred Hampton. As a leader of the Black Panthers in Chicago, Fred Hampton was considered a threat to the United States government.
The Black Panther Party was started by two men in Oakland, Cal...