‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton
In October 1967, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, Huey P. Newton was arrested and charged with the murder of a police officer. His organization, which was on the point of collapse, rallied around him, courtesy of a major campaign that ran through his trial and his two year...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Association for American Studies
2019-03-01
|
| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14273 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841558223939698688 |
|---|---|
| author | Joe Street |
| author_facet | Joe Street |
| author_sort | Joe Street |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In October 1967, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, Huey P. Newton was arrested and charged with the murder of a police officer. His organization, which was on the point of collapse, rallied around him, courtesy of a major campaign that ran through his trial and his two years in prison, making ‘Free Huey’ a rallying cry for radicals across the globe. It transformed the BPP into one of the most visible political organizations of the era whilst redefining Newton as one of the key icons of 1968. As important, the ‘Free Huey’ campaign enabled the BPP to surf 1968’s radical tide, forging links with other radical groups as it grew to international prominence. Yet this newfound fame was not unproblematic, since it revealed the ambiguities of the BPP’s philosophy and elevated Newton to mythic proportions that no living human could match. The ‘Free Huey’ campaign thus reveals both the ability of radical groups to generate and exploit the revolutionary fervor of the year and the problems inherent in such an approach. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-06e383751d6048279ee37a41755e5cfd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-06e383751d6048279ee37a41755e5cfd2025-01-06T09:08:57ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362019-03-0114110.4000/ejas.14273‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. NewtonJoe StreetIn October 1967, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, Huey P. Newton was arrested and charged with the murder of a police officer. His organization, which was on the point of collapse, rallied around him, courtesy of a major campaign that ran through his trial and his two years in prison, making ‘Free Huey’ a rallying cry for radicals across the globe. It transformed the BPP into one of the most visible political organizations of the era whilst redefining Newton as one of the key icons of 1968. As important, the ‘Free Huey’ campaign enabled the BPP to surf 1968’s radical tide, forging links with other radical groups as it grew to international prominence. Yet this newfound fame was not unproblematic, since it revealed the ambiguities of the BPP’s philosophy and elevated Newton to mythic proportions that no living human could match. The ‘Free Huey’ campaign thus reveals both the ability of radical groups to generate and exploit the revolutionary fervor of the year and the problems inherent in such an approach.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14273Black PowerSan Francisco Bay AreaProtest1968Black Panther PartyAfrican American radicalism |
| spellingShingle | Joe Street ‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton European Journal of American Studies Black Power San Francisco Bay Area Protest 1968 Black Panther Party African American radicalism |
| title | ‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton |
| title_full | ‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton |
| title_fullStr | ‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton |
| title_short | ‘Free Huey or the Sky’s the Limit’: The Black Panther Party and the Campaign to Free Huey P. Newton |
| title_sort | free huey or the sky s the limit the black panther party and the campaign to free huey p newton |
| topic | Black Power San Francisco Bay Area Protest 1968 Black Panther Party African American radicalism |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14273 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joestreet freehueyortheskysthelimittheblackpantherpartyandthecampaigntofreehueypnewton |