This paper reviews the book "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America" by Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton, written in 1967, at the height of the civil rights movement.
Abstract This paper explains the various aspects of the need for empowering the African-American people. The author points out that the most important argument in the book is that African-Americans need to develop a particular type of consciousness in order for black liberation to occur, which Carmichael and Hamilton refer to as "Black Power". The paper relates that the book states that integration (or desegregation) is not an adequate solution to the problem of oppression because it is based on the assumption that there is nothing of value in the black community and it merely results in integrating 'acceptable' black people into the middle-class white community.
From the Paper "Although "Black Power" was written in the late 1960s, the ideas contained in the book are still, for the most part, applicable in the present day. Obviously, African Americans have not yet attained full equality with the whites in American society. The views expressed by Carmichael and Hamilton are well stated, and thus their arguments are convincing. In addition, it is important to note that the way to liberation from oppression, according to "Black Power", is not "radical" per se, although it requires a great deal of courage and determination on the part of the black people themselves."
Abstract The paper discusses the 1923 U.S. Supreme Court's "Frye" decision that generated the limited criteria used by courts to determine the qualification of proffered scientific expert witnesses in federal cases. The paper then discusses the "Daubert" case that expanded the criteria for expert scientific witness qualifications and highlights the inappropriateness of "Frye" as well as "Daubert" to fire investigation.
The paper then looks at the 1999 "Carmichael" case that finally resolved the conflicting standards articulated under Frye and Daubert, by including non-scientific evidence as well as scientific evidence, offering a tremendous improvement for fire investigators.
Outline:
Introduction - The Frye Decision and the Evolution of Modern Evidence Standards
The Expansion of Criteria for Expert Scientific Witness Qualification
The Inappropriateness of Frye to Fire Investigation
Conclusion - Carmichael, Federal Rule 702, and Implications for Fire Investigation
From the Paper "The 1923 U.S. Supreme Court's Frye decision generated the criteria used by courts to determine the foundational qualification of proffered scientific expert witnesses in federal cases. Specifically, Frye introduced the general acceptance standard necessary to qualify the particular field of science supporting the intended testimony of expert witnesses (Cleary 2007). According to the Frye criterion, in order for expert witness testimony to be admissible, the underlying field of science corresponding to the intended testimony, must be "generally accepted" within the scientific community."
Tags: fire, investigation, evidence, general, acceptance
Abstract In the American legal system, eyewitness testimony is admissible in court as substantive evidence in both civil and criminal cases. In criminal cases, it is admissible to weigh toward the guilt or innocence of a defendant. The paper shows that eyewitness testimony given in court has its benefits and detriments, but all things considered, it is a valuable and necessary component of the American justice system. The paper focuses on the problems of eyewitness testimony and offers solutions. It also uses the Supreme Court case of Kumho Tire v. Patrick Carmichael to illustrate points in the paper.
From the Paper "Specifically, the reliability of eyewitnesses and their memory should be tested by the trial judge. Psychological studies have repeatedly shown that memory is flawed and often even illusory. For this very reason, law enforcement professionals are specially trained to remember specific details of the scene of a crime as it occurs, because memory is notoriously fickle.
To test eyewitnesses? memory and reliability, trial judges should use the factors similar to those utilized for expert witnesses, such as scientific testing and error rate testing in regard to memory recollection.
This is the only reliable way of determining whether eyewitnesses? accounts should be admitted in a court of law."
Abstract This paper provides an insight into the Black Power movement, a potentially explosive force in late-60s and early-70s American politics and life. It seeks to illuminate both the positive and constructive, community-empowering aspects of the Black Power movement as well as the negative aspects which ultimately led to its demise (and in turn, the decline of the African American community in major cities across the U.S.). It reviews the works of famed civil rights leaders Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton, Ira Katznelson's eminent treatise on urban politics "City Trenches" and the work of more conservative political pundits Ricahard Piven and Frances Cloward.
From the Paper "It is clear from these goals that Black Power was not, for the most part, designed to play into normal patterns of the dominant political game, that of urban trenches. In fact, Carmichael and Hamilton specifically reiterate the sentiment that?[t]he price of going along with the "regulars" is too high to pay for the so-called benefits received? several times (175). And yet at the same time, the movement was surprisingly practical. Carmichael and Hamilton cite as an example of successful community control the white suburban neighborhood (171) ? a concept that concurrently serves as a glaring example of almost all that is wrong with America according to black militants."
Examines the current perceptions of authors Stokey Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton regarding their book "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America".
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the evaluations that Stokey Carmichael (now known as Kwame Ture) and Charles V. Hamilton offer regarding their 1960s highly controversial book, "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America".
From the Paper "When Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America was first published in 1967, authors Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton were somewhat surprised at the reactions the book evoked. While many Africans born in America were inspired by the revolutionary philosophy proclaimed therein, other more conservative Blacks were less enthusiastic. They feared that the ideas and ideals expressed in Black Power, with its emphasis on closing racial ranks and finding empowerment from among one's own People, would undermine ongoing integration efforts. Most Whites, needless to say, were threatened by the prospect of Africans born in America recognizing and developing their own power to the extent that Carmichael and Hamilton seemed to be advocating. Thus, the reception the book received was mixed, to be sure, but quite emotional in all quarters."
An look at how the leaders of the Civil Rights movement believed that racism was based on economics, and that the entire economic system of the United States and of the world was inherently flawed.
1,105 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 5 sources, 2000, $ 38.95
Abstract The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s was not a movement for equality in the social or political sense; rather, it was a movement to bring an end to economic inequality and exploitation by the elites. Common perception holds that the Civil Rights movement sought to gain certain political and social rights and equalities. Measures such as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act reinforced such flawed perceptions. However, when the works of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement are consulted, it is discovered that they were seeking economic equality. They believed that the fundamental cause of racism was a flawed economic system. It is important to note that they did not believe that poverty in the traditional sense caused racism and inequality. They believed, especially King and Carmichael, that the entire economic system of the United States and of the world was inherently flawed. This essay explore? their arguments why racism was based on economics, why the system was flawed, and how they hoped to change the system.
Abstract This paper presents a review of racism from the time of slavery through the present. Overt racism, institutionalized racism, and legal racism are discussed and the current status of each evaluated.
From the Paper "Over the last century, the rights of minorities in American life have been given greater and greater protections after a period of imposed limitations. The Hispanic population in the Southwest and the Puerto Rican population in areas of the Northeast are also minority groups that do not share fully in the economic promise of American society and that have been discriminated against and made into a near-permanent underclass. Throughout American history, there have been minorities that have immigrated to the United States and that have encountered prejudice and discrimination once they arrived, including the Jews, the Irish, and various Asian groups. One element distinguishes between these groups on the one hand and black Americans on the other, and that element is slavery."
Examines shift in the civil rights movement from King's non-violence to the more aggressive stands of Stokely Carmichael, the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 7 sources, 1999, $ 31.95
Abstract The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, was a tragic blow, not only for the Civil Rights Movement, but for the rights movement of all lower class citizens in America. Dr. King, perhaps along with Bobby Kennedy, represented one of the few voices in 1968 America able to form any type of consensus among increasingly polarized groups in society.
From the Paper "The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, was a tragic blow, not only for the Civil Rights Movement, but for the rights movement of all lower class citizens in America. Dr. King, perhaps along with Bobby Kennedy, represented one of the few voices in 1968 America able to form any type of consensus among increasingly polarized groups in society. His death inaugurated a period of some of the worst race riots in American history. However, Dr. King's death did not signal the end of the Civil Rights Movement. The Movement had been splitting into factions several years before he was assassinated. The politics of confrontation, direct action, and Black Power had been gaining credence among many blacks as early as 1963. Dr. King recognized this shift in the Movement's dynamics, as well as a decline in his influence over the ..."
This paper discusses the development and leaders of the Black Power Movement from the beginning of 20th Century to the 1960's: DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown and Eldridge Cleaver.
3,600 words (approx. 14.4 pages), 5 sources, 1973, $ 127.95
From the Paper "The development of the Black Power movement in America can be traced from the beginning of the century if one considers all separatist movements from that time to be forerunners of Black Power. For, Black Power has been developed as a specific doctrine only since the middle or late 1960's; however, it had been slowly evolving for at least sixty years before that time. And, it was only because of various forerunners who had cleared the way that Black Power could develop when it did.
This movement, or doctrine, can be distinguished from the various civil rights movements which flourished concurrently with it. Though intrinsically related to Black Power, these have generally stressed racial harmony and the mutual cultural and mental evolution of both the black and white races to the point where members of each race would hold equal status in society."
Abstract The author's personal experiences have been interwoven with the social and political realities of the United States and, more specifically, the Los Angeles area. As a black man, the impact of institutional racism, prejudice and bigotry, experienced by the author personally or by others he has read about, has played a profound role in his belief system. By examining the author's personal response to events, as well as literature on the subject, the paper examines how he fits into society and how he can best contribute to it. The paper looks at the influence of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots on the author.
From the Paper "When I saw the Watts riot on television as a young boy, King's words came back to me. I could not understand at that age how people could destroy their own neighborhood. I grew up in the industrial small city of Wilmington, California which had a very strong sense of community and pride in its history. As a young man I came to understand the concept of institutional racism which helped explain how racial discrimination can be continued in a society which fundamentally claims to reject racism. I understood how living with poverty, crime and drugs as a result of racism can lead to the kind of frustration that explodes."
