The Black Panther Party was originally created to be a community self defense program from what the group felt was direct injustice from the police. It's organizers wished to inform the people of their power, and to "reliberate" the black community that they believed was being oppressed by the local and federal governments. However, the party was founded with ideas of revolution. Drawing from the likes of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong, the leaders Newton and Seale wanted a drastic change within the social and legal structure of the US and worldwide. The plans and hopes of the Party are outlined in their Ten-Point Platform:
- We want freedom and the power to determine the destiny of our black and other oppressed communities. We believe that black and other oppressed peoples cannot attain freedom until we have the power to determine our destinies in our communities. This can be done by controlling community institutions in their entirety.
- We want full and steady employment for our people. We believe that federal, state and local governments are responsible for providing all persons employment and/or a guaranteed income. If the corrupt American businessmen and their corporations will not provide our people with these human necessities, their possessed technology and other means of production and employment should be taken from them and placed into the hands of oppressed communities so that these communities may provide their people full employment in a self-sufficient manner.
- We want an end to the robbery of our communities by corrupt capitalists that run this nation. We believe that our racist, capitalist government has robbed us of our rights as communities, and we now demand reparations. Upon the abolishment of slavery 100 years ago, forty acres and two mules were guaranteed to newly freed slaves as reparations. We believe that the American government should provide a modern currency as repayments. Because the government is fully responsible for the death of over 50 million African-Americans, we believe this is a fair and modest demand to make.
- We want decent housing fit for the shelter and comfort of human beings. We believe that if the landlords of the United States will not provide decent housing to their tenants of black and other oppressed communities, the subpar housing shall be transformed into cooperatives through government funding.
- We want a fair and unbiased education provided to our people that also educates the black populace about their role in today's society. We believe that the black community is entitled to the knowledge of self and knowledge of community gained through education. Knowledge of self and community are the starting points for the knowledge of all things in the world.
- We want completely free and socialized health care for the individuals of the black community. We believe that the government is obligated to provide free and high-quality healthcare to oppressed communities. Because the oppression permitted and created by the government is the major cause of the various illnesses found within the individuals of our communities, the government has the moral duty to cure these illnesses as well as prevent future maladies in high-quality hospitals with no charge for the patient.
- We want an immediate end to police and government murder and brutality toward the black and other oppressed communities. We believe that the fascist American government has intentionally oppressed and discriminated against our people via the use law enforcement agencies. Through the Second Amendment, we are also entitled to equipping ourselves with arms in an effort to defend ourselves against these barbaric agencies.
- We want the declared armistice of all wars of aggression or violent conflicts. We believe that the majority of the violent conflicts in the world today are traced directly back to the United States government on some level. It is the innate right of humans to defend peace in their lives and the lives of others in their community.
- We want the release of all innocent black people currently being held in American federal, state, county city and military jails or prisons. We want a fair trial in front of a jury of one's peers given to all black criminals, both alleged and proven. We believe that the fascist judicial system of this country has denied many imprisoned peoples their rights guaranteed to them in the Sixth Amendment. The United States' penal system has become so corrupt, oppressive and unfair that the best solution is to completely absolve all prisons, jails, correctional facilities and other confinement agencies. All accused persons shall appear in court with a jury of their peers, an attorney of their choice and the comfort and knowledge that even if found guilty to the fullest extent, no sort of punishment institution awaits them.
- We want reparations that include but are not limited to: food, housing, education, clothing, peace, and justice. "When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation."