AfricanAmericanStudies.buffalo.edu  Celebrating the Centennial of the Niagara Movement

 
The Niagara Movement at 
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

In 2006, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the gathering of the Niagara Movement, the first major civil rights organization of the 20th century. Founded in 1905 by Dr. W.E.B. DuBois this group was the forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Determined to take their rightful place in society, members demanded equal enforcement of the law for all races and active political involvement at all levels of society. The group’s 1906 meeting, the first on American soil, was held on the campus of Storer College, now part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. This three day gathering was later described by W.E.B. DuBois as “one of the greatest meetings that American Negroes ever held.”

Members of the Niagara Movement at Harpers Ferry, 1906

Niagara Movement Facts

What was the Niagara Movement?

The first, collective civil rights movement of the 20th century—1905 to 1910.
"The battle we wage is not for ourselves but for all true Americans."

—W.E.B. Du Bois

Why was the Niagara Movement important?

  • It created the first, modern platform for civil rights.
  • It cleared the way and charted a course for the NAACP in 1909.
  • It marked W.E.B. Du Bois’ first attempt at civil rights organization.
  • It rejected Booker T. Washington as the spokesman for African Americans.
"...the spirit of John Brown beckons us to arise and seek the recovery of our rights."

—Reverdy C. Ransom

The Niagara Movement versus Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington was well-known, popular and powerful. He believed that African Americans should focus on agriculture and industrial education, stay out of politics, and not mix socially with whites. The members of Niagara disagreed strongly with Washington’s beliefs. They felt that Washington’s accommodationist policies undermined the struggle for equality. The Niagara Movement demanded equal enforcement of the law for all races and active political involvement at all levels of society.

One of the reasons why the Niagara Movement is not well known today is that Washington used his power and influence to stifle press coverage. Aside from one or two exceptions, only a handful of newspapers owned by members of Niagara reported on the Movement.
 

Left: Women at the 1906 Niagara Movement Conference at Harpers Ferry: Mrs. Gertrude Wright Morgan (seated) and (left to right) Mrs. O.M. Waller, Mrs. H.F.M. Murray, Mrs. Mollie Lewis Kelan, Mrs. Ida D. Bailey, Miss Sadie Shorter, and Mrs. Charlotte Hershaw.

What Attracted the Niagara Movement to Harpers Ferry in 1906?

  • The area’s natural beauty and history was attractive.
  • Storer College provided the facilities for a professional meeting.
  • John Brown’s 1859 raid to end slavery converted the town into holy ground.
“A more suitable place for the Second Annual Meeting of the Niagara Movement than Harpers Ferry would have been hard to find.”

—Max Barber

Why was the 1906 Niagara Movement meeting at Harpers Ferry important?

  • It was their first public meeting.
  • It was their first meeting in the United States.
  • Women became full-fledged, voting members of the organization.
"...instead of meeting in secret, we met openly...and had in significance 
if not in numbers one of the greatest meetings that American Negroes 
ever held. ...and we talked some of the plainest English that 
had been given voice to by black men in America."

—W.E.B. Du Bois


Source: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Author: David T. Gilbert

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