Why Did the National Association for the Advancement of Colored

question 54

Multiple Choice

Why did the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) rely primarily on the courts to press for black political rights in its early years?

• A) Only the courts had the legal authority to grant African Americans political rights, so the litigation strategy was most consistent with the organization's goals.
• B) The organization was composed of five members and, due to the fact that they were all lawyers, the strategy of litigation seemed to be the most logical choice.
• C) The organization was legally prohibited from contacting elected officials at the state and local levels and, therefore, had no other alternative than a strategy of litigation.
• D) Many judges were African American and, therefore, more sympathetic to the claims of the organization than legislators.
• E) The northern African American vote was too small to bring about policy change at the legislative level, so the organization chose a strategy of litigation.

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Definitions:

Confirmation Bias

The inclination to seek out, understand, prefer, and remember data in a manner that affirms an individual's existing notions or assumptions.

Self-Serving Bias

A cognitive bias that causes individuals to attribute their successes to internal or personal factors while attributing failures to external or situational factors.

Aversive Prejudice

Subtle, often unconscious prejudice that manifests in avoidance of certain groups or individuals, without overt hostility or hatred.

Stereotypes

Oversimplified generalized ideas about a group of people that often do not reflect reality and can result in unfair assumptions.