The famous court case, Plessy vs. Ferguson fo 1896, it was decided that the Louisiana State law that required blacks and whites to ride in separate train cars did not violate the 14th amendment. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP), founded in 1909, was based on civil rights and many members were equal rights supporters. The NAACP quickly gained recognition, especially by their involvement in court cases such as the 'victory against a discriminatory Oklahoma law that regulated voting by means of a grandfather clause (Guinn v. United States, 1910).' About 20 years later, the NAACP began to more involved in situations concerning the 14th amendment, as was mentioned before in the Plessy vs. Ferguson case. In the late 1930's, the NAACP became particularly involved with the state of Missourri, who had laws that forced 'qualified black students' within the state to pursue their educations elswhere. Charles Houston, the President of the NAACP in 1938, convinced the jury that the state of Missourri was violating the 14th ammendment with this law which influenced the court desicion in Brown vs. Board of Education in Topeka. The result of that case was that racially segregated schools were breaking the 14th ammendment, which led to a plan to desegregate school.s Obviously there were many people unhappy with this. On one side, white people still felt they were better and didn't want their children being involved with black students; on the other hand black parents feared for their childrens safety. It took strong federal forces such as political figures and in some cases, armed forces, for the desegregation to actually take place with angry whites terrorizing helpless blacks. In many ways, the NAACP has helped, and continues to help, further advance the African American population based on their belief in equal rights and the 'Black National Anthem':
Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
'Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on 'til victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
'Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.
