National Equal Rights League facts for kids

The National Equal Rights League (NERL) was one of the oldest groups in the United States that worked for human rights across the country. It started in Syracuse, New York, in 1864. The league was dedicated to helping black people gain freedom and equal rights in the United States. Its beginnings can be traced back to when slaves were freed in the British West Indies in 1833. The NERL encouraged good behavior, education, saving money, and hard work. They wanted to help people live a good and respected life. Black leaders formed local groups of the league, and many people joined. This helped the society grow quickly in places like Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

How the League Started

Early Ideas

After slaves were freed in the British West Indies in 1833, a big celebration happened in Buffalo, New York. Many free black men who supported ending slavery were there. During this celebration, they began planning a group just for black people. This group would fight for human rights 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 came from all over the U.S. These delegates included free black men and people who had escaped slavery.

The leader of this convention, Samuel H. Davis, explained their goals. He said they wanted the freedom to live anywhere they chose. They also wanted the right to vote in states where it was denied. Another important goal was to get good education for their children. These were some of the main problems they wanted to fix.

Founding the NERL

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

At the convention, they agreed on several important points. They supported ending slavery and having equal rights for everyone, no matter their skin color. They also wanted black men to have the right to vote. The members wrote their own rules and officially started the National Equal Rights League (NERL). They also created smaller state Equal Rights Leagues.

How the NERL Worked

The NERL used a special way of saving money called susu. Many of its members were immigrants from the West Indies who knew about this system. This money helped fund the league's activities. They even helped set up self-sufficient black communities, sometimes called "Black Wall Streets," across the U.S.

The work of the NERL members led to the creation of other important groups. These included the National Negro Business League and the National Negro Bar Association. The NERL also had a big impact around the world. Its leaders met with heads of state in other countries. They even sent a representative to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

Important Leaders

The two most famous leaders of the NERL were John Mercer Langston and William Monroe Trotter. Other notable members included Madam C. J. Walker, Ida B. Wells-Barnett (who started the league's Anti-Lynching Bureau), Mary Church Terrell, Marcus Garvey, and Frederick Douglass.

A New Group Forms

In 1905, NERL leaders met with other black leaders. This meeting is known as the Niagara Movement. They discussed different ideas about how to deal with race relations in the early 1900s. Some followed Booker T. Washington, while others followed W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois wanted an end to discrimination.

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 his ideas were not accepted, Du Bois left the organization. He then joined a new group called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

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

See also

• Negro Sanhedrin
• National Independent Political League