If they had a hierarchy, if only one or two people at the top were the acknowledged leaders upon whom all the others depended, it would have a number of negative effects: It might convince those at the top that they were more important than they actually were, thereby increasing conflicts over ego and personality; equally important, it might subtract from the sense of importance of many of the others and make them feel their strength came from their leaders and not from themselves; and finally it would convince their white opponents that all they had to do was arrest the leaders to close the
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