3. Strain, Christopher Barry. “Civil Rights and ... - Freedom Archives

considered the Panthers "a living testament to his life work."" He also emphasized the
parallels between the Panthers and the Nation of Islam . "Our program we structured after
the 81ack Muslim program," Newton explained, "minus the c+eligion "as
Self-defense was the cornerstone of the Panthers' manifesto, the Ten Point
Program, written by Newton and Seale, which enumerated the Panthers' beliefs and
goals. The Ten-Point Program constituted the warp and woof of the BPP. As a living
constitution, it shaped the Panthers' daily actions . To highlight blacks' inferior social and
economic status and to emphasize self-defense, the Ten-Point Program drew heavily on
the rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and Hill
of Rights . The seventh point read, "We want an immediate end to POLICE
BRUTALITY and MURDER of Black people."
We believe we can end police brutality in our Black community by
organizing Black self-defense groups that are dedicated to defending our Black
community from racist police oppression and brutality . The Second Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States gives a right to bear arms . We therefore
believe that all Black people should arm themselves for self-defense .
It was this point that always received the largest applause from audiences . The
Panthers based their armed patrols on the legality of the Second Amendment . "We don't
use our guns, we have never used our guns to go into the white community to shoot up
white people," Seale later explained. "We only defend ourselves against anybody--be
'~Newton, Revolutionary Suicide, 113 .
3sNewton, quoted in Hampton, Voices of Freedom, 353 .
s6For example, see #may (Chicago : International Historic Films, 1984), video
recording .
16 3