Origins & Early Life

Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African American revolutionary and political activist who co-founded the Marxist–Leninist political and militant organization the Black Panther Party with fellow activist Bobby Seale in 1966. He ran the party as its main leader and helped craft its ten-point manifesto. Under his leadership, the party organized numerous social programs and community events and advocated for collective defense. Newton stated that Plato's Republic influenced his philosophy of activism.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He went on to earn a PhD in social philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz's History of Consciousness program in 1980. Newton was tried for, but ultimately not convicted of, the criminal homicides of a police officer and a prostitute. Newton was convicted of, and incarcerated on separate occasions for, weapons and embezzlement offenses. He was accused of rape for which he was not convicted, and complicity in other targeted violence. He was murdered in 1989.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Newton was born in Monroe, Louisiana, in 1942 during World War II, the youngest child of Armelia Johnson and Walter Newton, a sharecropper...

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• 1942 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1942
• February 17 (02-17) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 17
• 1989 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1989
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