Abstract
Long dismissed as little more than an angry reaction to the slow pace of progress associated with the civil rights movement, groups and individuals associated with the Black Power "phase" of the movement stand accused as "prophets of rage" whose lack of a moral center and violent posturing helped to curtail the civil rights era. Given the popular civil rights master narrative, Pearson's account of the party's violent history conformed to historical memory that blames Black Power militants for replacing nonviolent social movements with urban rioting and organized violence.