Final answer:
The early phase of the civil rights movement focused on legal equality and nonviolent means, while the Black Power movement emphasized self-determination and empowerment within the African American community.
Step-by-step explanation:
The early phase of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and early 1960s was primarily focused on achieving legal equality and challenging segregation through nonviolent means. Prominent figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated for peaceful protests, civil disobedience, and legal action to achieve their goals.
On the other hand, the Black Power movement, which emerged in the mid-1960s, took a more aggressive and confrontational approach. Black Power advocates emphasized self-determination, self-defense, and a rejection of assimilation, pushing for political and economic empowerment within the African American community.