1905-1909
The NAACP is Formed

W.E.B. Dubois was considered one of the most important scholars of his time. (Photo: Herbert Orth–TimePix)

In 1905, the Niagara Movement was founded by a group of black scholars and teachers led by W.E.B. Du Bois. The scholars met in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to pass resolutions, or formal statements, demanding full equality. In 1909, a group of black and white citizens in New York City committed to social justice founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Du Bois's Niagara Movement merged with the NAACP. The NAACP's goals were to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority citizens. The group also worked to eliminate racial discrimination. Today, the NAACP is the nation's largest and most well known civil rights organization.