1920 There were cruel mistreatment toward the Haitians that are in the U.S. Marines
which were shown in reports. When this information was known to the NAACP, the
organization showed their concern for the well beings of the Haitians. The NAACP expressed their concern over this matter by sending James Weldon Johnson to investigate the U.S. Armed Forces actions. Johnson spent a half of a year in Haiti and returned to report his observations to the Board and to The Crisis. Wilson's policies on administration on Haiti was an issue that was involved in intense debate during political campaigns. With all of those discriminating actions, the NAACP demanded full independence for Haiti.
"a continuing symbol of Negro revolt against slavery and oppression, and capacity for self-rule." 1921 In Marion, Ohio, James Weldon Johnson was placed as Secretary. He met up with the President Warren G. Harding to talk about the issues and problems of the blacks. A few of the issues were lynching, segregation in federal agencies, disfranchisement, and the atrocities in Haiti. The NAACP tried to send the message of their concern by giving forty-five thousands piece of literature on lynching. In Europe, DuBois and Walter joined thirty-three U.S. delegates at the Second Pan African Conference. The NAACP made a petition which was asking for a pardon for the soldiers locked in Fort Leavenworth Prison with changes from the 1917 Riot in Houston, Texas.
1922 L.C. Dyer St. Louis Representative reintroduced an anti-lynching bill to the Congress.
1924 Due to the Great Migration, the population of the blacks grew in big number quickly. Housing Segregation became a problem for the blacks. A way to maintain segregation was by using restrictive covenant. A restrictive covenant is a deed or contact where the buyer(s) agrees to a set of rules or restrictions that are settled by the seller. The document was mainly private and could have been enforced in courts. The contact was mainly used to sell to whites only to keep blacks out and in of certain neighborhoods. Due to strategy of discrimination, two cases were made which were handled by the D.C. NAACP Branch and James A. Cobb who was from the NAACP Legal Committee.
"The next year the South Carolina Legislature passed a law that said that no city or state employee could belong to the NAACP. You see, our legislature was joining others across the deep South in a systematic campaign to wipe out the NAACP. ... I feel the big failure in my life was trying to work with the Black teachers to get them to realize, when that law was passed in South Carolina, that it was an unjust law. But there were such a few jobs that they didn't see how they could work against the law. I had the feeling that if all of them would say "We are members of the NAACP," that the legislature would not have said, "All of you will lose your job," because that would mean thousands of children out on the streets at one time. But I couldn't get them to see that. I signed my name to 726 letters to Black teachers asking them to tell the state of Sourth Carolina that it was unjust to rule that no city or state employee could belong to the NAACP. If whites could belong to the Ku Klux Klan, then surely Blacks could belong to the NAACP. ... I don't know why I felt that the Black teachers would stand up for their rights. But they wouldn't. ... Only 26 of them answered my letter, and I wrote them that we should go and talk with the superintendent. Eleven decided that they would go to talk to the superintendent, but when it was time to go there were only five of us. ... From that day on I say, "I'm going to have to get the people trained. We're going to have to show them the dangers or the pitfalls that they are in, before they will accept." And it took many years. You always have to get the people with you. You can't just force them into things. That taught me a good lesson..." 1925 The DeFacto residential segregation battles and protests continued. Dr. Ossian Sweet with his family moved into a former all-white neighborhood. They were attacked by a Detroit mob when at home. One of the attackers were killed. Dr.Sweet, his family(wife and 2 brothers), and 7 other people were jailed on charges of first-degree murder. The NAACP brought legendary attorney Clarence Darrow into the case as defense. In Texas, the first trial ended in a hung jury. The white primary system of voting was challenged by Dr. L.A. Nixon who is from El Paso. The NAACP branch of El Paso sued local officials when the claims were dismissed. The branch asked the national office to enter the case. In Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa, their activists blocked the anti-intermarriage legislation. During December, L.C. Dyer proposed a new anti-lynching bill. L.C. Dyer is a Representative of Missouri.
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1926 On May 24, the case of Corrigan v. Buckley was opened. The case was known as the Curtis case. The case became because of an agreement by thirty whites in 1921 over twenty-five acres of land. The whites agreed that they will not ever sell lease or give to anyone with the descent of African American. In 1922, Irene Corringan sold a lot of land to Helen Curtis and her husband Dr. Arthur Curtis. John J. Buckley brought a law suit against Corrigan and Curtis to stop the sale. The Supreme Court declined a hearing of the case because residential covenants was not viewed as unconstitutional. After about twenty years, the case came to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that covenants will not be enforced by the state court anymore.
1927 During March, The NAACP got involved with the Lawsuit of Nixon v. Herndon. Nixon was refused to vote based on his color and race. The Supreme Court ruled that the Texas white primary was unconstitutional. During July, a Michigan judge dismissed all remaining charges from the Sweet Trail. The NAACP started a Life Membership of five-hundred dollars because of its increasing obligations and runaway growth.
1928 The NAACP challenged Enabling Acts in Texas, Virginia, Florida, and Arkansas. Texas Democrats did not like that the high courts had held that blacks cannot be banned from voting in pre-election. They started new strategies to challenge the court indirectly by making acts. The act said that the political committees and individual party members personally blocking attempts by qualifying Black Democrats to vote only. The NAACP disapprove of those acts, so they decided to challenge a challenge.
1929to achieve their goals in all ways. The currents of lynching decreased in numbers but has not reach to zero which is not good enough for the NAACP. The real reason behind the decrease is the affect that the NAACP's efforts have done to the public. The NAACP is still fighting for the end of residential segregation and job discrimination. On September, Louis Marshall died in Zurich, Switzerland. Louis Marshall was an attorney who won five incredible Supreme Court victories on the behalf of the NAACP. Lt. Governor Herbert Lehman took Marshall's place on the National Board and is from New York. Felix FrankFuter joined the NAACP's National Legal Committee. Felix FrankFuter was a Harvard Law Professor. The Great Depression started to have an effect on the people especially the blacks in U.S. Why? It is hard for the blacks because they were always hired last and fired first. There were not many job opportunities for the blacks during that period of time.
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