key term - Niagara Movement

Definition

The Niagara Movement was a civil rights organization founded in 1905 that aimed to promote the rights and uplift of African Americans. Established by a group of black intellectuals, including W.E.B. Du Bois, it sought to address issues of racial discrimination and advocate for full civil rights, contrasting sharply with the more accommodationist approach of Booker T. Washington. This movement played a critical role in laying the groundwork for future civil rights organizations, including the NAACP.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Niagara Movement met for the first time at Niagara Falls, New York, in July 1905, where it brought together prominent black leaders to discuss civil rights issues.
2. The organization opposed the idea of gradualism proposed by Washington and instead demanded immediate and full civil rights for African Americans.
3. The Niagara Movement published a series of resolutions that called for political representation, educational opportunities, and an end to segregation.
4. Despite its short-lived existence, the Niagara Movement inspired future civil rights actions and organizations, particularly influencing the formation of the NAACP in 1909.
5. The movement highlighted the generational divide within the African American community regarding strategies for achieving equality, setting the stage for future debates on civil rights tactics.

Review Questions

• How did the goals of the Niagara Movement contrast with those of Booker T. Washington?
  • The Niagara Movement aimed for immediate and full civil rights for African Americans, pushing back against Booker T. Washington's philosophy of gradualism and accommodation. While Washington focused on vocational training and economic self-reliance as a pathway to respectability and eventual rights, the Niagara Movement advocated for direct action and political representation. This fundamental difference illustrated a significant ideological divide within the African American leadership at that time.
• Discuss how the Niagara Movement contributed to the formation of later civil rights organizations such as the NAACP.
  • The Niagara Movement laid critical groundwork for the creation of the NAACP by raising awareness about racial injustices and advocating for civil rights. The movement's focus on legal challenges to discrimination directly influenced the NAACP's strategies. Following the dissolution of the Niagara Movement, many members, including W.E.B. Du Bois, were instrumental in forming the NAACP in 1909, which sought to continue fighting for equality through legal means and public advocacy.
• Evaluate the long-term impact of the Niagara Movement on subsequent civil rights activism in America.
  • The Niagara Movement significantly shaped the landscape of civil rights activism by establishing a model for direct action and advocacy that would resonate throughout future movements. Its emphasis on demanding immediate rights instead of waiting for gradual improvements helped ignite a sense of urgency among African Americans. This foundation contributed to more organized efforts in later decades during events like the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as activists continued to build on its legacy of challenging racial discrimination head-on.

Related terms

W.E.B. Du Bois:

An African American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist who co-founded the Niagara Movement and was a leading critic of Booker T. Washington's accommodationist policies.

NAACP:

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, formed in 1909 as a direct response to the Niagara Movement, focusing on legal challenges to racial discrimination.

Booker T. Washington:

An influential African American educator and leader who advocated for vocational training and economic self-reliance for blacks, opposing the more militant stance of Du Bois and the Niagara Movement.