-
The Springfield Race Riot
In 1908 a deadly race riot hit the city of Springfield, Illinois. There were events of massive racial violence against African Americans committed by a mob of about 5,000 whites and European immigrants.They were angered by reports of a black man sexually assaulting a white woman and prior reports of a black man named Joe James being accused of killing a white railroad engineer. These 2 men were incarcerated and the mob demanded the police hand them over but they denied. This started the riot. -
NAACP Formation
Post Springfield Race Riot, a group of white liberals such as Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villard, Williams English Walling and Dr. Henry were outraged. They orchestrated a meeting to discuss racial justice. 60 people were in attendance and 7 were African American. February 12th, 1909, the NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was formed. The organization aimed to fight for the rights in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. -
New York's Fifth Avenue Silent March
On July 1st, 1917, two white policemen were killed in East St. Louis and this incident sparked another race war. The outcome of the war consisted of 48 murders, hundreds injured, and thousands fleeing the city due to their homes being set on fire. The NAACP responded through a peaceful protest. A silent March of 10,000 black folk. Men, woman, and children walking down New York's Fifth Avenue. There is power in numbers and the NAACP used that to get their message across. -
"Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States"
The most ferocious and cruel act of white supremacy was the lynch mob. In 1919, the NAACP emphasized how long this horrible act has been taking place through a publicized landmark report. The report was named "Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States". The purpose was to create a foundation that could help end this brutal form of political and economic terrorism. -
Dyer Anti Lynching Bill
The NAACP put fourth many efforts such as legislative battles, published horrendous statistics, mass protested, and artistically expressed how fed up they were with the violent acts being committed. Eventually, the federal Dyer Bill was constructed that would end lynching and punish those who participate or support lynch mobs. Although the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill, unfortunately a Senate destroyed it for good. But after, lynching decreased drastically the NAACP was thanked. -
Charles Hamilton Houston & Thurgood Marshall
NAACP Litigation Director Charles Hamilton and Legal Counsel Thurgood Marshall fought 26 cases in front of the Supreme Court. The fought the infamous Brown v. Board of Education case and this was one of the legal landmarks that guaranteed the right to equality in America. Education is the gateway to full citizenship. -
Rosa Parks' Bus
African American seamstress and secretary of the Montgomery NAACP, Rosa Parks caught a bus after her shift at the local department store. She sat in the front row of the colored section where she had every right to sit because the section was for colored folk. She was asked to vacate her seat when the whites only section reached full capacity and she refused. She was arrested and fined $10 plus another $4 in court fees. This sparked the largest boycott in the nation. -
Montgomery bus boycott
The Rosa Parks incident started a boycott that took place in all of Montgomery. Approximately 40,000 Black bus riders boycotted the bus system starting on December 5th. The boycott lasted until the city meet the NAACP's demand of changing the segregated bus laws to first come first served, with whites filling the front seats and blacks filling the back. Even if the white only section is full no black can be removed from their seat in the blacks on section.