National Socialist Party of America

Last updated

National Socialist Party of America
AbbreviationNSPA
Leader Frank Collin (1970–1977)
Harold Covington (1977–1981)
Founded1970;54 years ago (1970)
Dissolved1981;43 years ago (1981)
Split from American Nazi Party
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois
Raleigh, North Carolina
Ideology Neo-Nazism
White supremacism
White nationalism
Antisemitism
Political position Far-right

The National Socialist Party of America (NSPA) was a Chicago-based organization founded in 1970 by Frank Collin shortly after he left the National Socialist White People's Party. The NSWPP had been the American Nazi Party until shortly after the assassination of its leader George Lincoln Rockwell in 1967. Collin, a follower of Rockwell, developed differences with his successor Matt Koehl.

Contents

The party's headquarters was in Chicago's Marquette Park, and its main activity in the early 1970s was organizing loud demonstrations against black people moving into previously all-white neighborhoods. The marches and community reaction led the city of Chicago in 1977 to ban all demonstrations in Marquette Park unless they paid an insurance fee of $250,000 (equivalent to $1.26 million in 2023). [1] [2] While challenging the city's actions in the courts, the party decided to redirect its attention to Chicago's suburbs, which had no such restrictions.

Harold Covington succeeded Collin as leader of the NSPA in 1979, [3] before dissolving the organization in 1981. [4]

Skokie controversy

Nazi leader Frank Collin made announcement at a news conference in 1978 Frank Collin, leader of the National Socialist Party of America (1978).jpeg
Nazi leader Frank Collin made announcement at a news conference in 1978

In 1977 Collin announced the party's intention to march through the largely Jewish community of Skokie, Illinois, where one in six residents was a Holocaust survivor. A legal battle ensued when the village attempted to ban the event and the party. Represented by a Jewish ACLU lawyer in court, they won the right to march on First Amendment grounds in National Socialist Party v. Village of Skokie , a lawsuit carried all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, though it failed to carry through its intention (at the last minute, Chicago relented and they marched there instead).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skokie, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Chicago's downtown Loop. The name Skokie comes from a Potawatomi word for "marsh". For many years, Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Skokie's streets, like that of many suburbs, are largely a continuation of the Chicago street grid, and the village is served by the Chicago Transit Authority, further cementing its connection to the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Collin</span> American white supremacist and convicted pedophile

Francis Joseph Collin is an American former political activist and Midwest coordinator with the American Nazi Party, later known as the National Socialist White People's Party. After being ousted for being partly Jewish, in 1970, Collin founded the National Socialist Party of America. (N.S.P.A.) In the late 1970s, his planned march in the predominantly Jewish suburb of Skokie, Illinois was challenged; however, the American Civil Liberties Union defended Collin's group's freedom of speech and assembly in a case that reached the United States Supreme Court to correct procedural deficiencies. Specifically, the necessity of immediate appellate review of orders restraining the exercise of First Amendment rights was strongly emphasized in National Socialist Party v. Village of Skokie, 432 U.S. 43 (1977). Afterward, the Illinois Supreme Court held that the party had a right to march and to display swastikas, despite local opposition, based on the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Collin then offered a compromise, offering to march in Chicago's Marquette Park instead of Skokie. After Collin was convicted and sentenced in 1979 for child molestation, he lost his position in the party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viking (automobile)</span> Defunct American vehicle brand from General Motors

Viking was a brand of automobiles manufactured by General Motors as a supplement to Oldsmobile division for model years 1929 to 1931 and used the GM B platform. It was shared with the Oakland Model 301 for 1930 and 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CEFCU Arena</span> Arena in Illinois, United States

CEFCU Arena, formerly known as Redbird Arena, is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena located in Normal, Illinois, on the campus of Illinois State University. Built in 1989, the building is notable for its use of a Teflon-coated roof that gives off a "glow" during night events. Three Illinois State Redbirds athletic teams use the facility as their home court: men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John M. Belk Arena</span>

John M. Belk Arena is a 5,295-seat multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Davidson College, in Davidson, North Carolina, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Engelstad Sioux Center</span>

The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center is an indoor arena located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is adjacent to the larger $100 million Ralph Engelstad Arena in the University Village development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dee Events Center</span> Multi-purpose events center in at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, United States

Dee Events Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the western United States, located on the campus of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. The circular, 11,592-seat domed arena, similar in design to many of the era, opened 47 years ago in 1977. It was named for the Lawrence T. Dee family, for his extensive contributions in building the arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binghamton University Events Center</span> Multipurpose arena in Binghamton, New York

Binghamton University Events Center is the premier Division I Athletics and multipurpose facility at Binghamton University. The arena opened in 2004 and is adjacent to the Bearcat Sports Complex. It is home to the Binghamton Bearcats Division I Intercollegiate Athletic Program and can seat 5,142 patrons for home games, and over 8,000 for other large-scale events. It has hosted the 2005, 2006, and 2008 America East Conference men's basketball tournaments; the 2007 American East women's tournament as well as the first round and quarterfinal of the 2018 WBI tournament. The Events Center was host to the 2009 America East Conference Championship game when the Bearcats defeated UMBC to make March Madness. The facility has also hosted commencements and concerts such as Bob Dylan, Green Day, Incubus, Ludacris, Foo Fighters, Drake and Harry Connick Jr. The arena contains 53000 square feet of space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gersten Pavilion</span> Sports arena at Loyola Marymount University

The Gersten Pavilion is a 3,900-seat multi-purpose arena in Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the Loyola Marymount University Lions. It was built in 1981 and has been used for home games by the university's men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball teams since January 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNF Arena</span>

UNF Arena is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. It is home to the North Florida Ospreys men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams. It is also used for other events, such as concerts and graduation ceremonies, and has served as the site of the Orlando Magic franchise's training camp. It opened in 1993 and has a capacity of up to 6,300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Pitt Center</span>

The William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center is a 2,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Fairfield, Connecticut on the campus of Sacred Heart University. It was opened in August 1997 and is home to Sacred Heart University men's and women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, men's wrestling and fencing. It hosted the finals of the 2008 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquette Park (Chicago)</span> Public park in Chicago, Illinois

Marquette Park, the largest park on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, at 323 acres (1.31 km2), is located at 41.768°N 87.703°W in the city's Chicago Lawn neighborhood. The park is named for Father Jacques Marquette (1637–1675).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">541 North Fairbanks Court</span> Skyscraper in Chicago

541 North Fairbanks Court, formerly the Time-Life Building, is a 404-foot-tall (123 m), 30-story skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Harry Weese and completed in 1969. Located on the Near North Side, it was among the first in the U.S. to use double-deck elevators. The odd-numbered floors are accessible from the lower lobby, with even floors serviced from the upper level.

National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, 432 U.S. 43 (1977), arising out of what is sometimes referred to as the Skokie Affair, was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court dealing with freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. This case is considered a "classic" free speech case in constitutional law classes. Related court decisions are captioned Skokie v. NSPA, Collin v. Smith, and Smith v. Collin. The Supreme Court ruled 5–4, per curiam. The Supreme Court's 1977 ruling granted certiorari and reversed and remanded the Illinois Supreme Court's denial to lift the lower court's injunction on the NSPA's march. In other words: the courts decided a person's assertion that speech is being restrained must be reviewed immediately by the judiciary. By requiring the state court to consider the neo-Nazis' appeal without delay, the U.S. Supreme Court decision opened the door to allowing the National Socialist Party of America to march.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millis Athletic Convocation Center</span> Multi-purpose athletic and academic facility in High Point, North Carolina

The James H. and Jesse E. Millis Athletic and Convocation Center is a 1750-seat multi-purpose athletic and academic facility on the campus of High Point University (HPU) in High Point, North Carolina. The basis of the building is Alumni Hall, it is home to the high point university panthers men’s basketball which was built in 1957. In 1992, the facility was added upon, creating the office space, classrooms and pool on the western side of the facility, as well as adding a state-of-the-art press box.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bailey Memorial Stadium</span>

Bailey Memorial Stadium is a 6,500-seat multi-purpose stadium in Clinton, South Carolina. It is home to the Presbyterian College Blue Hose football team. The facility opened in 2002. The playing surface is named Claude Crocker Field. The facility features a multi-level press box, a spacious field house and concession stands for home and visiting fans.

The Packard Pan-American is a concept car produced for the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan in 1952.

Sol Goldstein was a leader in the Chicago Jewish community, a Zionist activist and a philanthropist. He survived imprisonment by Nazi Germany in World War II, and later moved to the US.

<i>Saying Grace</i> (Rockwell) 1951 painting by Norman Rockwell

Saying Grace is a 1951 painting by American illustrator Norman Rockwell, painted for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post's November 24, 1951, Thanksgiving issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquette Park rallies</span>

From the mid-1960s until the late 1980s, Chicago's Marquette Park was the scene of many racially charged rallies that erupted in violence. The rallies often spilled into the residential areas surrounding the park.

References

  1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. Dukes, Jesse (April 23, 2017). "The Nazis' Neighborhood". Curious City. WBEZ .
  3. Guillory, Ferrel (May 14, 1980). "Nazi's Showing in N.C. Race Embarrasses GOP". The Washington Post.
  4. "N.C. Nazi Chief Quits". The Daily Item . Sumter, SC. Associated Press. March 27, 1981. Retrieved November 26, 2020.