Essay On Why Did The Naacp Challenge Hoover

Why and with what consequences did the NAACP challenge Hoover’s nomination of John J. Parker to the Supreme Court in 1930?

On the 21st of March 1930 following the death of Edward Sanford, then President Herbert Hoover nominated Judge John Johnston Parker to the United States Supreme Court. Before he was able to take his seat, his fate was in the hands of the US Senate, who had to make the decision on whether he was commendable of such a prestigious position. Due to the recent successes in the courts of those fighting cases for the NAACP, any decision to appoint a new Supreme Court Justice instantly became a matter of high interest for the association. Parker was a relatively unknown judge to many outside of his field before the nomination,

The eventual success of the associations attempt also came with inevitable consequences, for Hoover, his Republican party and the NAACP themselves. An already underwhelming presidency had taken another blow to its influence in government, and the association had shown that African Americans were now an important part of US politics, in spite of the fact Parker had claimed otherwise. The worry for Herbert Hoover and the Republican party in 1930, despite the fact he had won the previous election to be named President, was that his victory was not as convincing as it may have seemed. There was a growing feeling that his victory had been a hollow one, and that it was more in protest of his Democratic counterpart that he won, rather than an outright win. The Democrats still had control of the so-called "Solid-South", and he would more than likely lose a portion of voters he had gained in this election, if a more capable candidate opposed him. Therefore, he decided he needed to appeal directly to the Southern States. He embarked upon his Southern Strategy, which was his idea of making the South a Republican stronghold, and in order to do so, needed to distance himself and his party from the African Americans. Since their emancipation,

Members of the association were able to come across a speech Parker had made back in 1920, published in the Greensboro Daily News, which would have a great impact on Black opinion of him, and subsequently become the main reason for the battle against his nomination. In the speech in question, Parker was quoted as saying that "the Negro in politics is a source of evil and danger", and that they were "not desired" by the Republican party in North Carolina. In light of such comments, the NAACP felt it could not possibly allow the nomination to pass through the senate unchallenged, as they considered it would be a severe disadvantage to have someone who they considered a Southern racist sitting as a justice. The positive steps, in terms of legal battles it had made in the years leading up to the Parker nomination were now under threat in having a Justice who had publicly stated his opinion that there was no place for African Americans in politics. Should the nomination be allowed to pass through the senate, the association felt it would not be able to trust his vote when it came to matters involving Civil Rights, which would be a step backward in its pursuit of the ultimate goal. Considering the fact the Hoover was already attempting to further distance