The NAACP was established in 1909 as a reaction to racial discrimination and segregation following Reconstruction, and was co-founded by activist W.E.B. Du Bois. It became the nation's leading civil rights organization, tackling legal challenges against segregation and advocating for minority rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Founding of the NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909 as a direct response to the racial injustices that persisted following the end of Reconstruction. Its inception was partly a result of the Springfield race riot in Illinois, and it marked a crucial turning point in advocating for the rights of African Americans. Among the founders was W.E.B. Du Bois, who, along with other activists, rejected Booker T. Washington's more conciliatory strategies, which accepted segregation and inequality as temporary measures. The NAACP sought instead to directly challenge segregationist laws and practices and aimed to address issues like the horrific practice of lynching in the South.
From its early years, the NAACP embarked on a number of legal challenges against segregation and strived to promote political, social, economic, and educational equality for minority groups in the U.S. Its influence grew to become the nation's foremost and largest civil rights organization, engaging in grassroots campaigns, voter mobilization, and ultimately, influencing pivotal Supreme Court decisions such as overturning the 'Separate but Equal' doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson.