National Equal Rights League facts for kids

The National Equal Rights League (NERL) was a very important group in the United States that worked for human rights. It was started in Syracuse, New York in 1864. Its main goal was to help black people in the United States gain freedom and equal rights. The idea for the league came from when slaves were freed in the British West Indies in 1833. The NERL believed in teaching people good values, helping themselves, getting an education, and living a respectful life. Many local groups of the league quickly formed across the country, like in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and many people joined.

How the National Equal Rights League Started

Early Ideas for Equal Rights

After slaves were freed in the British West Indies in 1833, a big celebration happened in Buffalo, New York. At this event, free black men started planning to create their own organization. This group would fight for human rights for black people in the United States. Ten years later, in 1843, the first National Convention of Colored Men of America was held in Buffalo. Hundreds of delegates, including free black men and escaped slaves, came from all over the U.S.

At this meeting, the leader, Samuel H. Davis, explained their purpose:

"... we wish to secure for ourselves, in common with other citizens, the privilege of seeking our own happiness in any part of the country we choose ... We wish also to secure the elective franchise in those states where it is denied us ... We also wish to secure, for our children especially, the benefits of education ... These, and many other things, of which we justly complain, bear most heavily upon us as a people; and it is our right and our duty to seek for redress..."

The NERL was founded by important leaders like Henry Highland Garnet, Frederick Douglass, and John Mercer Langston. It began in New York but grew quickly after the Civil War ended.

Goals and Growth of the League

The NERL passed several important resolutions. They supported ending slavery, having equal rights for everyone regardless of skin color, and allowing black men to vote. They also wrote their own rules and officially created the National Equal Rights League. They also set up smaller Equal Rights Leagues in different states.

The NERL used a special way of saving money called "susu" from its members, many of whom were immigrants from the West Indies. This money helped them fund their activities. These activities included creating self-sufficient black communities, sometimes called "Black Wall Streets," across the U.S. The work of NERL members also led to the creation of other important groups. These included the National Negro Business League, the National Negro Bar Association, and the Pan-African Conference.

The NERL also had a big impact around the world. Its leaders met with important government officials from other countries. One of their representatives even attended the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The two most famous leaders of the organization were John Mercer Langston and William Monroe Trotter. Other notable members included Madam C. J. Walker, Ida B. Wells-Barnett (who started their Anti-Lynching Bureau), Mary Church Terrell, Marcus Garvey, Octavius V. Catto, Charles Lewis Reason, John Rock, William Cooper Nell, Moses Dickson, and Frederick Douglass.

When a New Group Formed

In 1905, NERL leaders met with other black leaders at what is known as the Niagara Movement. They discussed the growing disagreement between followers of Booker T. Washington and followers of W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois wanted to end discrimination and create new ways to deal with race relations. At this meeting, Du Bois tried to convince NERL members, like Trotter and Wells-Barnett, that white Americans should be allowed to join the NERL. When they didn't agree, Du Bois left the organization. He then joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

From 1910 to about 1920, Byron Gunner was the president of the NERL. As the NAACP continued to grow, the NERL became less well-known. By 1921, most of its members had joined the NAACP.

Proceedings

• Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the National Equal Rights League Held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 19, 20, and 21, 1865

See also

• Negro Sanhedrin
• National Independent Political League