Who founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)?

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909 primarily through the efforts of W.E.B. Du Bois, along with other civil rights activists. Du Bois was a prominent scholar and activist who advocated for the rights of African Americans and was a co-founder of the NAACP. He emphasized the importance of higher education and political activism in the fight for racial equality.

The founding of the NAACP marked a significant moment in the civil rights movement, as it aimed to combat racial discrimination through legal challenges and public advocacy. Du Bois also served as the editor of the organization's journal, "The Crisis," which became an important platform for African American voices and issues.

Booker T. Washington, while an important figure in African American history, advocated for a different approach to racial uplift, focusing more on vocational training and accommodation rather than immediate civil rights. Frederick Douglass was a key figure in the abolition movement and a strong advocate for equality, but he was not directly involved in the founding of the NAACP, as he passed away before the organization was established. Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a prominent civil rights leader in the 1950s and 1960s, well after the NAACP was founded.