To what extent was the NAACP responsible for the success of the civil rights campaign?

   Court cases were not the only means taken up by the NAACP to further the civil rights campaign, another notably method was the Montgomery bus boycott conducted between 1955-1956. In which black citizens boycotted the bus companies after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat, the boycott crippled bus companies as the majority of their passengers were black. Leading up to the full desegregation of the buses, which was more than had been originally expected from the protest as its original goal was to get more black bus drivers and have more respect on the buses. This boycott began to show the civil rights movement that something can be achieved when the black community stands together in unity for a common goal.

   However, this was not the only thing that came from the bus boycott it was also the platform that launched the career of arguably the most important figurehead of the campaign, Martin Luther King. After recently moving to Montgomery he was selected as a leader as he was seen as impartial, this in turn led to advancements such as the Southern Christian leadership committee being set up by King and him heading up the Montgomery Improvement association. The bus boycott allowed him to begin a plethora of protests, sit-ins and marches whilst always advocating non-violence. Not only did Martin Luther King provide a well respected leader for the movement, he also ensured that the campaign was given as much publicity as possible by using the media revolution to great effect. Marches would be planned to go through towns with highly racist officials such as Bull Connor, as King knew this would provoke a reaction and cause footage of white racists beating up peaceful protestors to be played on the news raising awareness of the cause and gaining sympathy. This also united the black communities throughout the America showing them the changes that were possible.

   Although all of the ideas Martin Luther King used could not be seen as his own, individuals and small groups conducted sit-ins in supermarkets, wade-ins at public swimming pools and freedom rides through towns. All of this spread the civil rights campaign through America and united black citizens under a cause. Small protests eventually spawned the formation of the SNCC (student non-violent coordinating committee), which arranged campaigns such as one in Mississippi which had aimed to raise voter registration as this state had the lowest percentage of registered black voters.

   Furthermore, it was just black organizations or leaders that pushed towards civil rights equality it also came from federal bodies even rising to the President bringing in new legislation. It was first Truman that challenged the civil rights issue in 1947, when he formed the Presidential committee on civil rights which called for an end to racial segregation which was followed by Presidential orders to desegregate the military. After this even Eisenhower passed a civil rights act in 1957.

   To conclude, the NAACP made significant impact during the civil rights campaign both in bringing in new legislation and using non-direct action, but also later using the Montgomery bus boycott to unite the black community. However, to allege that responsibility lies solely in the hands of the NAACP would be unjustified as it can be argued that individuals and federal involvement made an equal or further significant change to the face of the civil rights campaign.