NAACP

     The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was the first official organization for racial equality created by W.E.B Du Bois. The organization sparked the start of civil rights activism, culminating during the 60's with Martin Luther King's protests.

The Difficult Beginning
     The NAACP began in the south during a time where the Jim Crow laws were for the majority unopposed. The form of oppression continued with little opposition after the civil war due to its widespread approval. Although legal to protest, it came at the price of resistance from basically everyone. The consequences for resisting continued to prevent change. The NAACP however began to change that. 
Silent Protest Parade Centennial
     After a bloody attack on innocent Africa Americans where thousands were left homeless and dozens dead when their neighborhood was burned down, the NAACP decided that it was enough. They responded with their silent protest. Nearly 10,000 African American men, women, and children silently paraded down New York's 5th avenue to the beat of drums. Pickets and signs famously expressed their demand for justice with "We march because we deem it a crime to be silent in the face of such barbaric acts." and "You must be in line.

An Early Victory
     Although the beginning was rough, the NAACP scored early victories in their path for racial equality. They managed to influence the overturning of the grandfather clause in the Supreme Court case (Guinn vs. United States). The Grandfather clause had restricted voting rights for not only African Americans but Latinos and poor whites by having literacy tests that prevented voter registrations. When uneducated former slaves or children of former slaves attempted to register they were barred by some sort of excuse, helping form the Jim Crow policies that lasted until the late 60's. The NAACP victory was an important step in the right direction. 
Growing Political Influence
     As African American culture began to creep into main street society within the roaring 20's with jazz so did the NAACP's political influence. The NAACP began to grow their relationship with Democrats in the north who supported the anti-lynching movement. The second world war was the equality movements first break out moment. The Double V campaign gained widespread support, pushing for integration in the defense industries that had spiked with the high demands of the war eventually partnering with CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) and other labor unions to strengthen the movement. 



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