The NAACP is an immense group of people with over 400,000 members who have a goal to rid of racial discrimination of African Americans. The NAACP was one of the most important organizations of the Civil Rights Movement of 1954-1968. The NAACP helped African Americans with poverty, hunger, and education. The NAACP wants equality for blacks, whites, and other rasis. The NAACP is still an organization for African American rights today.
The Start. The NAACP was founded in 1909 in Baltimore, Maryland. The NAACP main goal at this time was to stop lynching and the 1909 race riots in Springfield, Illinois. By 1913 the NAACP had two dozen branches including white and black members. The NAACP wanted African Americans to be guaranteed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. The NAACP was created by Mary White Ovington and William English Walling. Mary White Ovington and William English Walling are both White citizens. They then invited Du Bois to join and help start the NAACP organization .
Du Bois. Du Bois help build the NAACP and founded the Niagara Civil Rights Movement in 1905. In addition to building the biggest civil rights group, Du Bois was the first African American to receive a PHd at Harvard University, and was awarded the 1920 Spingarn Medal for his efforts of independence for African Americans. Du Bois edited “The Crisis” for the NAACP for many years, “The Crisis” was a journal created by Du Bois and was used as a voice for civil rights. Du Bois shared his thoughts on racism all the way to Paris. He had the idea that African Americans could resort to violence if needed for protection. He decided he would join the communist party in 1961 because of how upset he was with racial discrimination.
Civil Rights 1954-1968. During the Civil Rights Movement, the NAACP had a large impact. Including posting bail for hundreds of Freedom Riders in 1961. The NAACP also led the Brown v. Board of Education trying to stop school segregation. The NAACP held a nation wide protest against D.W Griffith’s film and its racist nature. The NAACP help stop lynching around the country until lynching was no longer an issue.
Schools. Desegregating schools was one of the most important missions for The NAACP. The NAACP led the nineteen year school desegregation movement also known as Brown v. Board of Education which was NAACP’s biggest victory. The case was held in Topeka, Kansas. Thurgood Marshall who worked for the NAACP was the man who won the Brown v. Board of Education case. Marshall was the student and protege of Charles Hamilton Houston.
Victories. During the Civil Rights the NAACP had many victories. As many know, the case called Brown v. Board of Education making school segregation illegal was won by the NAACP in 1954. The NAACP also won the Morgan v. Virginia which makes segregated buses, train travel and facilities illegal. Another success was when one of the branches in Washington, D.C help pass the Civil Rights Act of 1957, 1964, and 1968. This D.C branch also helped the Voting Act of 1965. The NAACP’s wanted to stop discrimination against African Americans and they took the first few steps to making blacks and whites equal.
The NAACP has been used for decades and is still an organization today. The NAACP has recently hit the one hundred year mark in 2009. The NAACP is still the oldest and biggest Civil Rights organization with over 600,000 members and to this day is still trying to create a more perfect world with equal rights for all and to stop racial discrimination.