Struggle for Black Freedom and Unfinished Revolution

HEADING
Ben Shapiro
Subject of Lesson:
Black Panthers

AAH 10th

1/26/16

Day 14

Amount of Time and Period 1:20, 2nd

OVERVIEW/ RATIONALE
This is a single day lesson about the Black Panther Party and the COINTELPRO
operation to destroy them.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
1. When people began moving beyond legal/voting issues towards class/economic
issues, the elite felt most threatened and responded violently.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. Why did the FBI attempt to weaken the BPP?
2. What are the main issues you would like to see changed?
GOALS/OBJECTIVES
1. TSWBAT identify the Black Panthers ten-point program IOT create their own
10-point program.
2. TSWBAT examine different accounts on the BPP and COINTELPRO IOT
identify why the BPP was such a threat to those in power.
MATERIALS
1. Textbook.
2. OUT handouts.
3. PowerPoint
4. FBI SPYING ON BLACK LIVES MATTER/OCCUPY/CITIZENS
5. Video of COINTELPRO
6. Peer review slips
7. Ethnography sheets.
PERSONAL GOALS/FOCUS: Consistency with rules. Dont talk over students. Foster
discussion.
PROCEDURES
1. EQ on board
2. Assigned seats posted
3. Set up camera
OPENER SHOW CLIP AND THEN PART 2ND PART OF EYOP AT END 19563700; 3025-3700
1. DO NOW: (10 min)
a. Article on board about spying.

b. Journal: Do you think its okay for the government to spy on citizens in
the name of national security? (5 min)
c. Discussion: (5 min)
i. What about first amendment and fourth amendment?
ii. When is it acceptable to spy on people or disrupt their
organization? If you are criticizing the government? If you have
weapons?
BODY OF LESSON
Providing Context (20 min)
2. Today we are going to talk about an instance when the government interfered
with a black organization called the BPP.
a. TIMELINE Riots showed people still had lots of problems
segregation, housing, poverty, healthcare, respect, police brutality. People
were seeing that laws only help so much.
b. In the mid-sixties, instead of rioting, some people started advocating for
Black Power does anyone know what this means?
c. Determine their own fate Black Power calls for independent
development of political and social institutions for black people and
emphasizes pride in black culture.
3. PowerPoint: BPP for Self-Defense was started in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and
Bobby Seale. The government was not too happy about them
a. Put up quote Hoover pretty big statement, what would be the greatest
threat today? terrorists
b. lets see what they did about it
4. Show clip about COINTELPRO (5 min)
5. Introduce EQ why did the FBI attempt to weaken the BPP?
a. Hypothesize on answer
b. Lets open up our textbooks now to p. 287 and I want to focus on one
excerpt.
OUT Activity (35 min)
6. Students read textbook as I read outloud.
a. What do you think about the Panthers?
b. Were they powerful?
c. Did they have a lot of support amongst the black population?
d. What did they do? What was their main activity?
e. Why were they fighting with the police?
f. So, whats your answer to the CHQ now?
7. HANDOUT APPENDIX B WITH GUIDED QUESTIONS. STUDENTS READ
APPENDIX B
a. Circle words dont know underline anything important.
b. Read by yourself, then turn to neighbor and answer questions, or by self.
(10 min)
c. CLASS SHARE/DISCUSS (5 min)
8. HANDOUT APPENDIX C WITH GUIDED QUESTIONS. STUDENTS READ
APPENDIX C,

a. Read by yourself, then turn to neighbor and answer questions, or by self.

(10 min)
b. CLASS SHARE/DISCUSS (5 min)
9. CLOSING DISCUSSION (10 MIN)
a. What is your final answer to the EQ? SHOW ZINN DOCUMENT?
b. What do you think of the textbook telling of the history of the BPP and
its relationship to COINTELPRO?
c. What impact does that have, if students only knowledge of this is that
which is told in the textbook?
d. Who do you think is most likely to be in African American History classes?
e. Why does this happen?
i. Who benefits and who loses?
f. How important is this? Is there anything we can do about it?
10-point program (15 min)
1. Read 10-point platform out loud.
a. Discussion:
i. Which one stood out to you?
ii. Which do you agree the most with?
iii. Disagree?
iv. Are any of these issues still relevant today?
2. Create your own 5-point platform in your journals.
a. Can be about anything
CLOSURE
1. GET GROUPS FROM EXTRA CREDIT
2. DO PEER REVIEW.
3. ETHNOGRAPHY
ACCOMMODATIONS
Will be going around to check if people need help with language.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
Discussion. Journals. Guided notes.
POST-LESSON NOTES

Make sure to get into the wording of the textbook or else the contrast is not clear.
Bring the discussion back around to their lives today.
Have better discussion questions prepared that relate back to students lives.
Use an activity for discussions.

Appendix A
The Free Breakfast for School Children is about to cover the country and be initiated in
every chapter and branch of the Black Panther Party. This program was created because the
Black Panther Party understands that our children need a nourishing breakfast every morning so
that they can learn
It is a beautiful sight to see our children eat in the mornings after remembering the times
when our stomachs were not full, and even the teachers in the schools say that there is a great
improvement in the academic skills of the children that do get the breakfast. At one time there
were children that passed out in class from hunger, or had to be sent home for something to eat.
But our children shall be fed, and the Black Panther Party will not let the malady of hunger
keep our children down any longer.
The Breakfast Program has already been initiated in several chapters, and our love for the
masses makes us realize that it must continue permanently and be a national program. But we
need your help and that means money, food, and time. We want to turn the programs over to the
community, but without your efforts and support we cannot.
Source: The Black Panther newspaper. March 26, 1969. (cited in To Feed Our Children, n.d.)

Appendix A (Cont.)
Guided Questions
1. What is this program and who is running it?

2. Why are they running this program?

3. What is the purpose of the program?

4. Does this support or go against the how the textbook portrayed the Black Panthers? How
so?

Appendix B
The Breakfast for Children Program (BCP) has been instituted by the BPP in several
cities to provide a stable breakfast for ghetto children. . . . The program has met with
some success and has resulted in considerable favorable publicity for the BPP. . . . The resulting
publicity tends to portray the BPP in a favorable light and clouds the violent nature of the group
and its ultimate aim of insurrection. The BCP promotes at least tacit support for the BPP
among naive individuals .. . and, what is more distressing, provides the BPP with a ready
audience composed of highly impressionable youths.. . . Consequently, the BCP represents the
best and most influential activity going for the BPP and, as such, is potentially the greatest
threat to efforts by authorities . . . to neutralize the BPP and destroy what it stands for.
Source: FBI airtel from director to Special Agents in Charge in twenty-seven field offices. May
15, 1969 (Newton, 1980, p. 108-109)
Insurrection- Rebellion
Naive- Extremely simple and trusting
Impressionable- Open and easy to mold

Appendix B (Cont.)
Guided Questions
1. Who made this statement and who are the intended recipients?

2. What does the author think about the Breakfast for Children Program?

3. What does the author think should be done about the program?

4. Does this support or go against why the textbook claims COINTELPRO attempted to
weaken the BPP? How so?

5. Why do you believe the FBI tried to weaken the Black Panther Party?