Black political parties an historical and political analysis / by Hanes Walton, Jr.

Bibliography: p. 261-270.

That political commentators have begun to discuss the possibility of a black candidate for Vice President of the United States and that some are predicting that at least one state will have a black governor before the decade is out, points up the increasing participation and influence of blacks in our current political life. Dr. Walton's is the first study of how blacks arrived in their present position on the political scene, through a variety of parties and alignments over the years, and indicates what directions black political organizations may take in the future. Black political parties are of two types, the separate party and the satellite or parallel party. The first type is independent of other major or minor political parties. Examples are the Negro Protective party and the Black Panther party. The author examines the Black Panther party in depth. The second type is an extension of or is related to one of the major parties. An example is the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party, which grew out of the vigorous black voter registration campaign in Mississippi during the early sixties. This, one of the most successful movements, is described at length by the author. Early Negro political alignments, the Black and Tan Republican parties, the South Carolina Progressive Democratic party, and black participation in third parties are among the other topics covered in this unique and valuable book.