Created in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States. Its members work for equal rights for African Americans and other minority groups. The NAACP has fought discrimination in schools, the workplace, and public places. Its goal is to end racism—the belief that one group of people is better than other groups.

Activities

Members of the NAACP try to make sure that everyone is treated equally under the law, and they ask the U.S. Congress to pass new laws to guarantee that equal treatment. In this way they act to ensure the civil rights of all citizens. Civil rights are those that are granted by the laws of the country. These include the right to vote and to own property. The NAACP's lawyers go to court to fight for civil rights. Its members educate the public about the importance of civil rights.

The NAACP also runs many programs that help the community. One program helps African Americans register to vote. Scholarship programs help young African Americans go to college. Another program helps people to manage their money. Other programs focus on equality in jobs, the military, and prison.

History

A group of black and white men and women founded the NAACP in 1909. The group originally called itself the National Negro Committee. W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard, and William English Walling were among the founders. They wanted to fight for equality for African Americans. In 1865 the 13th Amendment had freed African Americans from slavery. However, many whites still considered African Americans to be lower-class citizens.

The NAACP worked for equal rights by fighting unfair laws and policies. When President Woodrow Wilson allowed segregation (the separation of blacks and whites) in the federal government in 1913, the NAACP organized a protest. In 1935 NAACP lawyers won a case that allowed an African American student to attend the University of Maryland. During World War II the NAACP asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt not to discriminate against African Americans who wanted to help in the war effort.

The NAACP's most famous success is the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. In 1954 lawyers for the NAACP argued that segregation in public schools should end. The Supreme Court agreed. The justices of the Court ruled that segregation was illegal. As a result black children could attend the same schools as white children.

The NAACP played an important role during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Its members helped to organize the March on Washington, a large demonstration for civil rights, in 1963. The NAACP also asked Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965). Those acts helped African Americans to gain equal rights.