Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumThe Black Power Movement

Read the following excerpt from a 1966 speech by John Hulett, a founder of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO) in Alabama:

"The Democratic Party of Alabama... has as its emblem a white rooster, and the words 'White Supremacy' written across the top... We felt that we could not register under that party... So we organized ourselves into an independent organization, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, and our symbol is the black panther... The black panther is an animal that when it is pressured it will move back, but if you pressure it any further, it will turn and wipe out whatever is in front of it."

Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of the African American freedom struggle, which of the following best describes the primary strategy of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization?

  1. Establishing independent political institutions to achieve self-determination and community control.Answer
  2. B
    Advocating for violent retaliation and the armed overthrow of the state government.
  3. C
    Organizing a mass emigration movement to return to West Africa to escape Southern racial oppression.
  4. D
    Lobbying federal agencies to integrate local county-level Democratic Party offices.

Answer

Establishing independent political institutions to achieve self-determination and community control.
The correct option correctly identifies that the Lowndes County Freedom Organization focused on building independent political institutions. By refusing to join the white supremacist Democratic Party of Alabama and forming their own party, they put the Black Power philosophy of self-determination and community control into electoral practice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus quote to identify the core grievance and the response of the LCFO.
The quote indicates that the existing Democratic Party of Alabama openly embraced white supremacy, leading the organizers to reject it and establish an independent party symbolized by the black panther.
Understanding the context of the quote helps distinguish between integrationist strategies and independent political organizing.
2
Evaluate the options against the core tenets of the Black Power movement represented by the LCFO.
The LCFO's creation of an independent party aligns with the Black Power emphasis on political self-determination, community control, and self-defense, rather than integration or armed rebellion.
This step eliminates distractors that mischaracterize the movement's goals as either integrationist or purely aggressive/militant.

Key Concept

The political dimension of the Black Power movement emphasized self-determination, independent political organization, and community control, rejecting integration into white-dominated, hostile political institutions.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

The Black Power Movement

More questions from this topic