The Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a revolutionary, Black nationalist organization in the United States founded by Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, and Richard Aoki.

Formed in October 1966, the party grew to national prominence in the United States and is an iconic representative of the counterculture revolutions of the 1960s. The group was founded on the principles of its "Ten-Point Program", which called for greater autonomy of black Americans and justice for many real and perceived slights against blacks. The groups political goals are often overshadowed by the violent episodes which constantly dogged them, violence which is due to the aggressive attitude of both the police and Black Panther Party Members.

The group fell apart in the early 1970s due to a combination of internal problems and suppression by state actors, especially the Federal Bureau of Investigation (whose methods included arrests, stirring-up of factional rivalries via infiltration and, allegedly, assassination).