Jim Crow and disenfranchisement NAACP

an african american drinks out of segregated water cooler designated colored patrons in 1939 @ streetcar terminal in oklahoma city.



sign colored waiting room @ bus station in durham, north carolina, 1940

in years, naacp based in new york city. concentrated on litigation in efforts overturn disenfranchisement of blacks, had been established in every southern state 1908, excluding political system, , jim crow statutes legalized racial segregation.

in 1913, naacp organized opposition president woodrow wilson s introduction of racial segregation federal government policy, workplaces, , hiring. african-american women s clubs among organizations protested wilson s changes, administration did not alter assuagement of southern cabinet members , southern block in congress.

by 1914, group had 6,000 members , 50 branches. influential in winning right of african americans serve military officers in world war i. 6 hundred african-american officers commissioned , 700,000 men registered draft. following year, naacp organized nationwide protest, marches in numerous cities, against d. w. griffith s silent movie birth of nation, film glamorized ku klux klan. result, several cities refused allow film open.

the naacp began lead lawsuits targeting disfranchisement , racial segregation in history. played significant part in challenge of guinn v. united states (1915) oklahoma s discriminatory grandfather clause, disenfranchised black citizens while exempting many whites voter registration requirements. persuaded supreme court of united states rule in buchanan v. warley in 1917 state , local governments cannot officially segregate african americans separate residential districts. court s opinion reflected jurisprudence of property rights , freedom of contract embodied in earlier precedent established in lochner v. new york.

in 1916, chairman joel spingarn invited james weldon johnson serve field secretary. johnson former u.s. consul venezuela , noted african-american scholar , columnist. within 4 years, johnson instrumental in increasing naacp s membership 9,000 90,000. in 1920, johnson elected head of organization. on next ten years, naacp escalated lobbying , litigation efforts, becoming internationally known advocacy of equal rights , equal protection american negro.

the naacp devoted of energy during interwar years fighting lynching of blacks throughout united states working legislation, lobbying , educating public. organization sent field secretary walter f. white phillips county, arkansas, in october 1919, investigate elaine race riot. more 200 black tenant farmers killed roving white vigilantes , federal troops after deputy sheriff s attack on union meeting of sharecroppers left 1 white man dead. white published report on riot in chicago daily news. naacp organized appeals twelve black men sentenced death month later based on fact testimony used in convictions obtained beatings , electric shocks. gained groundbreaking supreme court decision in moore v. dempsey 261 u.s. 86 (1923) expanded federal courts oversight of states criminal justice systems in years come. white investigated 8 race riots , 41 lynchings naacp , directed study thirty years of lynching in united states.

naacp leaders henry l. moon, roy wilkins, herbert hill, , thurgood marshall in 1956.

the naacp worked more decade seeking federal anti-lynching legislation, solid south of white democrats voted bloc against or used filibuster in senate block passage. because of disenfranchisement, african americans in south unable elect representatives of choice office. naacp regularly displayed black flag stating man lynched yesterday window of offices in new york mark each lynching.

in alliance american federation of labor, naacp led successful fight prevent nomination of john johnston parker supreme court, based on support denying vote blacks , anti-labor rulings. organized legal support scottsboro boys. naacp lost of internecine battles communist party , international labor defense on control of cases , legal strategy pursued in case.

the organization brought litigation challenge white primary system in south. southern state democratic parties had created white-only primaries way of barring blacks political process. since southern states dominated democrats, primaries competitive contests. in 1944 in smith v. allwright, supreme court ruled against white primary. although states had retract legislation related white primaries, legislatures came new methods severely limit franchise blacks.