Which event signaled a directional change for the SNCC? A) the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965 B) the formation of the Black Panther Party in 1966 C) the rise of Stokely Carmichael to leader of the SNCC in 1966 D) the riots in Watts in 1965

What the question is really asking

You are looking for the moment when SNCC itself changed direction, not just an outside event happening in the broader civil rights era.

Why C is the best match for a change inside SNCC

Stokely Carmichael becoming leader in 1966 is directly tied to SNCC’s shift in goals and tone. Under his leadership, SNCC emphasized Black Power, greater political independence, and less commitment to earlier strategies closely associated with interracial cooperation and nonviolence.

Why the other options are not the key turning point for SNCC

• A (Malcolm X’s assassination, 1965): influential in the movement’s climate, but it is not the leadership change within SNCC that marks the organization’s clear pivot.
• B (Black Panther Party formed, 1966): important for Black Power nationally, but it is a separate organization, not the internal SNCC turning point.
• D (Watts riots, 1965): a major event highlighting urban tensions, but it does not specifically identify SNCC’s organizational shift.

Quick takeaway

A directional change for an organization is most clearly signaled by changes in that organization’s leadership and stated strategy. In SNCC’s case, that moment is Carmichael’s rise in 1966.