The+History+of+NAACP


 * The NAACP **
 * __WORKING FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE__ **

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 * "To promote equality of rights and to eradicate caste or race prejudice among the ****citizens of the United States; to advance the interest of colored citizens; to secure for them impartial suffrage; and to increase their opportunities for securing justice in the courts, education for the ** **children, employment according to their ability and complete equality before law." **

**"The time is always right to do what is right!**" - **Martin Luther King Jr.** ** Introduction **

** Have you ever been made fun of because you were different from the rest of society? Have you ever been criticized by the way you dress, act or look? For those that are not aware, this way of life has been a part of society for a long time and does not show any signs of changing anytime soon. In the late 1800's and through a good portion of the 1900's people were abused and looked down upon by society just because of the color of their skin. People of an ethnic background were not welcome by many of the Caucasian people that lived in the USA just because they were different. Although most of this angry and abuse was pointed towards African Americans, there were other ethnic groups who were also categorized into the same group and treated the same way. African Americans were treated like dirt and basically not considered by others. They were beaten, named-called, lynched, denied the right to vote and had basically no civil rights or freedoms that they could call their own. They were also segregated from society as well. For example they had to use their own schools, restaurants, restrooms and even their own water fountains. They were considered scum of the earth and their only use to society was a slave, which was now outlawed. It was as if their race was an abomination; or was it? This time period in history was a horrible and shameful time, but history was about to change for the best. One historical event led to a determined and well-organized group whose only goal was to give back to the African American people what was rightfully theirs all along. This group is none other than the famous NAACP. **

**The Beginning**

**It all began with an event that took place in Springfield, Illinois, known as the Race Riot of 1908. This was about two African American prisoners being transferred from the town's county jail. This outraged the people of the town and they went on a rampage burning down African American homes. They killed at least seven people and racked up $200,000 worth of property damage as well. This event is known as the catalyst for the formation of the NAACP. The NAACP, which stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was formed on February 12, 1909, just one year after the Race Riot took place. This particular date was former President Abraham Lincoln's birthday. This date, although it did not take place for another three months after the original date, was a tribute to Lincoln for his work in the South such as freeing the slaves. Its founders consisted of a diverse and heroic group of Du Bois, Ida Wells, Archibald Grimke, Henry Moscowitz, Mary Ovington, Oswald Villard, William Walling and Florence Kelly. The first meeting was held on May 30, 1909, and became known as the Niagara Movement Conference. ** **The Niagara Movement was a group of radical civil rights activists who came out to join the NAACP. The first conference was a huge success and the organization gained a lot of support from** **not only African Americans, but Caucasian who believed in equal rights as well. The second meeting was held on the same date but in the year 1910. This was where the group finally picked its name and assigned positions such as president, vice president and so forth. The leadership was dominated in Caucasian and Jewish decent, in which the Jewish people played a big part in the NAACP and helped with a lot of financing and bills. Oddly enough, there was only one African American on the leadership stance, and that was Du Bois as Director of Publicity and researcher. Now that the organization was well-diverse and all in the same mind set, it was time to change the world one step at a time.**


 * NAACP Slogan **

After being formed, it was now time for the NAACP to put their goal down on paper and make it know around the world. Their goal was made know in the year 1912 and it was this: "//To promote equality of rights and to eradicate caste or race prejudice among the citizens of the United States; to advance the interest of colored citizens; to secure for them impartial suffrage; and to increase their opportunities for securing justice in the courts, education for the children, employment according to their ability and complete equality before law."// They wanted equal rights for everyone no matter what the color people's skin was or what they looked like. They also wanted to ensure that each and every African American had the equal opportunity to vote as well as gain employment. This eventually became knows as affirmative action.

The Pathway to Change

The newly formed organization was now 6,000 strong with 50 branches and was about to embark on their first big challenge, which would be one of many changes that they would be responsible for for the next several decades. The first change that they made in order to help the African American community was fighting to get rid of the Jim Crow laws as well as disfranchisement. The Jim Crow laws were a set of rules that forced segregation upon the African Americans. In the next few years, the NAACP would hold nationwide protests, marches and file lawsuits against any and all discriminators of the African American race. They even sued and protested the filmmaker D. W. Griffith for his silent film //Birth of Nation//, which put a positive spin on the Klu-Klux-Klan. This caused several cities to refuse to show the movie in their area. The NAACP also had a hand in the court case of Guinn v. United States about the grandfather clause, which was just one of the many ways that prevented a African American from voting. The grandfather clause stated that if one could prove that his grandfather voted than that person would be able to vote as well. This was basically impossible. This was eventually overturned when the 15th amendment was put into effect allowing African Americans the right to vote. While fighting the battle to vote and stop segregation, the NAACP also were able to ban lynching and make it illegal. They used to diplay a black flag from their offcie building window for each lynching that took place.

After wiining many of their battles, outlawing lynching, and gaining the righ t to vote, the NAACP found it to be a great time to destroy the phrase "separate but equal." This phrase came from the fam ous court case of Plessy v. Ferguson, which the NAACP overturned because of the court case Brown v. Board of E ducation in 1954. This now made it possible for African Americans and Caucasians to be integrated into the same schools. During this time Rosa Parks, planned out by NAACP and others, protested segeration on the buses by refusing to move for a white person. The NAACP had caused such a movement that people from alll over showed their support to this organization. They pushed the ruling of Brown v. the Board of Education and spearheaded the campaign for the Little Rock Nine, a group of teenagers brave enough to be the first to intergrate an all-white school. The NAACP had made so many changes for the African American people that were too good to be true--but it was only the begining.

The Aftermath

Over the years, the NAACP has enacted a youth program that allows students from all over the world to become a part of the NAACP and allows them to see what they are all about. The mission of this branch is to inform kids about the issues that African Americans faced and still face today. It also allows them to voice their own voices and opinions.

The NAACP has made a huge impact in the world and on history and is without a doubt an honorable orgainzation for all the work it has done for the African American people. Now over 30,000 strong, the NAACP is still changing the world one step at a time to make it a better place to live in for the next generation to come.



__THE TIME TO CHANGE IS NOW!!!!!!!!__