NAACP During the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement was a social movement in the United States that sought to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and other minority groups. It began in the late 1940s and continued through the late 1960s. During this time, there were many notable events and figures that played a role in the movement. The NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from 1942 to 1968. Founded in 1909, the organization was initially focused on fighting for equal rights through the legal system and educational and voter registration campaigns. During the Civil Rights Movement, the NAACP continued to use these strategies and also employed a number of others in its efforts to combat racial discrimination and segregation (Stanford University, 2018). Some of the key methods used by the NAACP during this time period included:

1. Litigation: The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a separate organization from the NAACP, was instrumental in challenging segregation and discrimination through the legal system.
2. Voter registration: The NAACP worked to register African Americans to vote in the South, where they were often denied this right through discriminatory practices such as literacy tests and poll taxes.
3. Education and outreach: The NAACP worked to educate the public about the issues faced by African Americans and the need for civil rights reform. This included public speaking engagements, the distribution of literature, and the use of the media to get the organization’s message out.

The strategies that were used during this movement cannot be called fully successful or failed. This is largely because the effects of racist attitudes have persisted to the present day, but there is no denying the fact that they have diminished significantly. Much of the credit for this is due to this movement and how popular it was in its day (Aaronson et al., 2022). In addition to the strategies mentioned above, the NAACP also worked to build coalitions with other civil rights organizations and activists (Jennifer Dominique Jones, 2018). This allowed the organization to amplify its voice and have a more significant impact on the national stage (Stanford University, 2018). The NAACP also placed a strong emphasis on grassroots organizing, working with local chapters to mobilize communities and bring about change at the local level.

During the Civil Rights Movement, the NAACP faced significant challenges and faced backlash and opposition from those who opposed their efforts. However, the organization remained committed to its mission and continued to fight for the rights of African Americans (Stanford University, 2018). Overall, the NAACP employed a multifaceted approach in its efforts to bring about change during the Civil Rights Movement. The organization was able to effectively advocate for the rights of African Americans and bring about significant progress in the fight for civil rights.

Reference

Aaronson, D., Abner, J., Borgschulte, M., & Mazumder, B. (2022). The early origins of the Civil Rights movement in the US: An analysis of the growth of the NAACP. SSRN Electronic Journal. Web.

Jennifer Dominique Jones. (2018). “To Stand upon My Constitutional Rights”: The NAACP and World War II—Era Sexual Exclusion. Journal of Civil and Human Rights, 2(2), 121. Web.

Stanford University. (2018). National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute. Web.