This paper traces the history of the National Advancement for the Association of Colored People (NAACP) in advocating for the rights of African-Americans.
Abstract This paper examines the history and development of the NAACP. The author describes the transition from the organization being focused on human rights to its current focus on civil rights. The paper gives a background history of the situation of African-Americans from the days of slavery to our times. W.E.B. DeBois' role in founding the organization is highlighted.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
History of the NAACP Key Players of the NAACP NAACP and Communism
Human Rights
Civil Rights
Internal Atruggles of the NAACP Moving Rowards Civil Rights
Today
From the Paper "Since the days of slavery, African Americans have had to battle for rights that many people in the United States have been able to take for granted. The issue of slavery was put to rest many years ago, but the damage that the practice did to race relations is still a bruise on the hip of society as America works to provide true equality to those who reside in the states. If one were to trace the path of African American roots in the United States from the days of slavery until the 1960's, one would see a path filled with turmoil, angst, and hard earned victory in the area of civil rights for African Americans nationwide."
This paper reviews Merline Pitre's "In Struggle against Jim Crow: Lulu B. White and the NAACP, 1900-1957" (1999) by discussing the history of Jim Crow laws.
Abstract This paper explains that state laws called Jim Crow laws required or permitted separation of the races and denied the right to votein spite of the Fifteenth Amendment, which was known as ?disfranchisement.? The author emphasizes that Lulu B. White was a female activist, an executive secretary of the Houston branch of the NAACP, and the state director of branches for the NAACP during the mid-20th century, when such activism was frequently met with white violence and retribution. The paper stresses that the life and accomplishments of Lulu B. White provide clear evidence that leaders are not born, but rather are made by the circumstances in which people find themselves.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Author's Main Thesis
Scope of the Book
Subject
Time Period
Geographical Scope
Critique of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Jim Crow and How it Affected Lula B. White
Conclusion
From the Paper "The lingering effects of a failed Reconstruction were clearly apparent in this region of the country during this period in America's history. According to the author, ?During the era of Jim Crow, in certain sections of this region, black males were expected to tip their hats in the presence of whites, even if they were walking on the opposite sides of the street. Well into the 1940s, railroad porters were required to pull down the window shades on the "colored" side of passenger cards as the train passed through Grand Saline, a community twenty miles east of Elmo, to prevent upstanding white citizens from looking at black faces.? "
An examination of the Brown vs. Board court ruling in Topeka, Kansas of 1954, which established equal education admittance to children of all races into American schools.
Abstract This paper discusses the Brown vs. Board case which established equal education for all races. It looks at why segregation can be disadvantageous and uses case studies to illustrate this point. The writer examines the tactics used by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) when fighting to pass this ruling. The paper concludes with the advantages of equal education.
From the Paper "For centuries, African-American parents and supporters have been challenging the United States? educational system. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas ruling changed this system forever. The unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated a previous decision that established a "separate but equal" educational policy, and led to the integration of schools throughout the country. Without this necessary response to many unsuccessful attempts to ensure equal opportunities for all children, African American students would have remained at a serious disadvantage and the United States would not truly be a democratic country."
This paper discusses the NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: Founding in 1909, objectives, evolution to 1990s, successes, members, leadership, conflicts and scandals, growth and politics.
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 7 sources, 1995, $ 119.95
From the Paper "The NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has been active since 1909 in its attempts to break legal ground and forge better opportunities for African Americans. The history, function, purpose, and current activities of the organization will be examined. It will be apparent that the NAACP stands as one of the progressive movement in America's major victories against legal, and thus political, oppression.
Early in 1909, some twenty persons met together in New York City for the purpose of utilizing the public interest in the Lincoln Centennial in behalf of African Americans, then known as colored people, or Negroes. Within a few weeks this number was enlarged to about fifty, one-third of whom were from other cities than New York. According to the NAACP's 1984 pamphlet ... "
Abstract Examines FDR's informal "black cabinet," the people who served in it, and its importance to national culture. New Deal reforms & black support. Black leaders who advised FDR. The President's motive in using black advisers: to use their ideas to remedy racism & to rely on their opinion on a wide number of other issues. Diversity of "black cabinet." Contribution of educator Mary McLeon Bethune & others. Gains made by the NAACP, National Urban League & National Council of Negro Women as a legacy of the "black cabinet."
From the Paper "With the entrance of each new administration we now hear about the importance of making the president's cabinet "look like America". That resemblance is never actually achieved, of course, if only because each American has a different idea of what it is that America really looks like. But amid the complex politics of inclusion ? at least when a Democrat is in the White House it is easy to overlook how far it is that we have actually come just over the course of the 20th century in terms of acknowledging that the differing experiences of different racial groups are all valid and that they must be included in an administration if the country is to be well run.
Many people deserve credit for bringing African-American voices into the mainstream of the national political process. But one of the people who deserves a fair measure of credit is often..."
Abstract Covers legal challenges to racial iniquities, historical perspective including 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson, and NAACP actions on the legal basis to challenge segregation and doctrine of separate-but-equal.
From the Paper "The battle to gain civil rights for all Americans regardless of their race - and later their gender - was fought on a number of different fronts and by peaceful soldiers of all colors and all ages. This paper examines the role that litigation played in ..."
This paper argues that, while vouchers present an alternative short-term solution for many individual public school students, this program fails to address the entrenched problems in America's public schools.
Abstract This paper discusses that, as a solution to better education, especially for low-income and racial-minority students, the "school choice" program provides parents with public-funded school vouchers to pay for tuition in private and parochial schools. The author points out that the National Education Association reports only 33 percent of voucher schools expressed willingness to participate in state-administered standardized tests; thus, there is no way to evaluate whether the tax dollars spent on a child's private education are yielding measurable results. The paper relates that, even though the majority of the beneficiaries of school vouchers are African-American, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has long opposed the school voucher program because vouchers are merely a band-aid that does not solve the underlying problems of American public schools.
From the Paper "There are no short-term solutions to the lackluster quality of education in many public schools in less affluent districts. However, diverting much-needed funding away from such schools will only worsen the problem in the long run. Instead of vouchers and its allied problems, more forward-thinking school districts in Tennessee have initiated the STAR class size project. This program was geared towards hiring more teachers and reducing class sizes in area public schools. A similar program, Success for All, has instituted a reading-based curriculum in 1,100 schools nationwide. This program, which cost a fraction of the voucher budget, has resulted in higher reading scores in standardized tests."
This paper discusses the marketing strategy of Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation, the market leader in the United States and abroad for the rental of videos and associated products.
Abstract This paper explains that Blockbuster achieved its success through focused goals, effective marketing strategies, a clear knowledge of the market attained through market research, expansion and pricing according to marketing demands, and an involvement with the community. This paper relates that, in 2002, Blockbuster expanded its gaming market by purchasing the UK-based video game retailer, Gamestation, resulting in the development of Game Rush, a store-in-store concept to rent, sell, or buy new and used game software and hardware, which shares an entrance with Blockbuster stores. The paper relates that Blockbuster's marketing philosophy is closely intertwined with its concept of serving humanity through many service programs, stressing diversity in the workforce and customer base, sponsoring the filmmakers? category of the NAACP's ACT-SO Program and minority film festivals, and community projects, such as Boys & Girls of America and Children's Miracle Network.
Table of Contents
Blockbuster's Marketing Concepts and Strategies
Marketing Style and Philosophy
The Success of Blockbuster
From the Paper "Blockbuster's increased focus on retail for example has resulted in strategic planning (Desjardins, 2003, May). This includes a variety of newly created programs, as well as expansion in terms of in-stores selections of movies, games and equipment. Rent subscriptions, movie and game trading, as well as store-in-store concepts, are some of the new strategies to attract customers and ensure the return of existing customers. Specifically, the new concepts include the Blockbuster Freedom Pass, a rental subscription program that allows the customer to rent an unlimited supply of movies without restrictions such as return dates or extended viewing fees."
Abstract This paper constructively analyses the philosophies of African-American leader Marcus Mosiah Garvey and his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), to that of W.E.B Dubois and his National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It looks at how Marcus Mosiah Garvey had fierce militant philosophies while W.E.B Dubois took more of a passive attitude.
From the Paper "Du Bois and the Niagara Movement did not last very long. They could not get a mass group of African Americans to follow and support their agenda. After the fall of the Niagara Movement, Du Bois joined the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peopled). Members of the NAACP were from various backgrounds. There were African American members, white members, and even Jewish members. Unlike the UNIA, the main focus of Du Bois and the NAACP was to formulate plans on providing legal enforcement for African American Constitutional Rights. "
Abstract This paper examines the issue of the display of the Confederate flag, an intermittent source of debate in the US for many years. The paper takes a particular look at one case in the late 1990s when controversy over the display of the flag on top of the South Carolina State House in Columbia led to a nationwide boycott instigated by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) against the state. The paper then makes the argument that individuals ought to be allowed to wear or display symbols containing the Confederate flag motif as a simple matter of their free speech rights, both on and off school campuses, or in any other venue.
From the Paper "In 2006, the Southern Legal Resource Center, a nonprofit civil rights group, filed suit to permit several students at a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee to wear Confederate flag images on clothing. Racial tensions at the school nearly resulted in violent altercations at one point, resulting in a temporary lockdown. The students involved in the suit complained that black students were permitted to wear images of Malcolm X and related symbols without undergoing the same restrictions as the white students, thus raising the familiar argument of the double standard (Watson.) The Southern Legal Resource Center, which focuses on such cases, is also involved in a similar case in Texas, where several students at a high school near Dallas sued for the right to carry purses with the Confederate flag symbol on them, after they had been banned by administration officials. It seem clear that the dispute between administration policies and student rights is a heated one, and has implications beyond that of one particular symbol which some may find offensive. If students are in fact to be prepared for assuming the full rights and responsibilities of adulthood, as has often been argued, it seems reasonable to respect their rights on such a seemingly trivial matter."
This paper discusses the famous Supreme Court public school desegregation case, "Brown vs. Board of Education," the first time social science evidence was allowed in a court of the United States.
2,870 words (approx. 11.5 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 85.95
Abstract This paper explains that the only way to overturn "Plessy vs. Ferguson," which was the precedent set in 1896 that allowed separate but equal school systems for blacks and whites, was to prove legitimately by presenting valid evidence, which supported the NAACP challenge, that separate could not be equal. The author points out that Thurgood Marshall, then lawyer for the NAACP, turned to social scientist Kenneth B. Clark, who gathered convincing evidence that ultimately proved segregation in public schools was a direct violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The paper explains that experiments demonstrated that, as a colored child observed the society in which he or she lived, that child associated whiteness with superior advantage, achievement, progress, and power, all of which were perceived essential to being successful in the competitive American culture.
From the Paper "In order to convince the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall knew he would have to present some form of scientific evidence that could not leave room for a contradictory argument. So, Dr. Clark and his team devised a foolproof experiment to determine the influence of skin color as a factor in racial identification of Negro preschool children. Samples of children from three different age groups were tested: three, four, and five years of age. Also, the subjects were divided into three categories on the basis of skin color: light, medium, and dark. Placed in front of each child were two identical dolls: one doll was white and the other was colored."
Abstract This paper is written mostly from a subjective viewpoint regarding racism in the United States. The author describes his/her brush with racism, and talks a bit about some of the history of and groups behind organized racist activity. Conclusions are drawn about some of this activity by the author.
From the Paper "Racism has been a problem for hundreds of years. Has it gotten any better from what it used to be? A little, but it still plays a major problem in our society. I come from a small town, which is mostly white, so it's hard to still believe that the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is still up and going strong. My eyes were blinded by this stereotype I held. They are not just affecting people in the south, they have moved all over the states. Will it ever end, who's to say? My question I had before investigating this topic is: Does the KKK still have an affect on us this day in age? And if so, how far have they spread away from the South?"
Abstract This paper examines how Spike Lee manipulated the Malcom X story in his film by toning down Malcolm's radical message and even completely altering it at times.
From the Paper "Popularizing Malcolm X by making his message more appealing to a broader base of people than it was initially, is Spike Lee's agenda. As I mentioned earlier this is not an easy task especially in America today as contrasted with the America Malcolm had faced. It is one thing to see eye to eye with a man who insists whites are devils when they act in evil ways toward you, it is entirely another thing to accept that same argument when whites act fairly, friendly and as your equal. Winning over this new generation of young Blacks who have grown up isolated from the centuries of racial injustice and animosity that proceeded them, is the dilemma that Spike Lee has to overcome."
Abstract The paper defines the Higher Education Act, established 30 years ago to offer financial aid to people seeking higher education. It thereafter examines the 1998 provision denying this aid to people with prior drug convictions. The affect of this new provision on colleges and universities throughout the United States is discussed.
From the Paper "But many students and politicians have voiced out against the bill, saying that it is class-discriminatory and racist. Several student and statewide organizations, including the University of Southern California Student Senate and statewide New York and Wisconsin organizations, have recently passed new resolutions speaking out against the bill, on the grounds that financial aid should be given out to academically qualified students who need the aid to attend college."
Abstract A paper which shows how Oxford University Prof. Anthony De Jasay presents an extremely negative view of the modern constitutional, contractual state in his book "The State". The author of the paper shows that the issues De Jasay raises in his book are both relevant and pertinent to some of the philosophical difficulties of government afflicting the modern United States and modern states across the globe.
From the Paper "De Jasay, over the course of his analysis, presents a rather interesting view of the nature of the state as a governing entity. Within his metaphor of the chastity belt with the key lies the assumption that the government, i.e. the state, exists in a perpetual state of desire. The state by its very nature, like a knight of old wishing keep his lovely wife's virtue safe while he is away doing battle, desires to keep safe individual liberties that ensure the perpetuation of citizen's liberties and that the state's very free and open nature remain intact and untouched. Yet also that same state has the desire penetrate (for lack of a better word) the individual freedoms of the populace. To prevent rampant penetration of individual liberties, a constitution is put into place that prevents rights from being impinged upon, but that constitution is state-created and thus has a key."
