W.E.B. Du Bois Essay

In 1899, Du Bois published one of the most popular sociological study on the African American community called The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study which helped set a precedent for his future writings. In the study, Du Bois created a new term called "the talented tenth,” the idea that 1 out of every 10 African Americans had the potential to becoming leader. This helped shift many people’s mentality, including blacks, on the role of African Americans in American society. This ideology, accepted widely throughout the north, encouraged blacks to continue their education, write and express themselves clearly, and personally get involved in social change. Du Bois recognized the inequality based off race and thought that classical education was the only way to close that

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois is a famous world know African American writer. He published many writings of the life of a black boy and man living in a white society where they were constantly oppressed due to the color of their skin. Dubois was born in the 1860’s and lived through till 1963. Due to his honesty and his acceptance of his culture Dubois was able to influence many people through his work and being considered the founder of black studies in American life, making him one of the most influential African American . One thing that I found to be interesting was that he was way ahead of his time. Dubois spoke out against the racist system and fought for civil rights through his writings by attracting people's attention and making them listen to what he experienced and what many black men and women

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard University, and he focused on history, civil rights, and sociology. In 1909, Dubois was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The Soul of Black Folks was one of Dubois’ great works in 1903.

Du Bois relates his experiences as a schoolteacher in rural Tennessee, and then he turns his attention to a critique of American materialism in the rising city of Atlanta where the single-minded attention to gaining wealth threatens to replace all other considerations. In terms of education, African Americans should not be taught merely to earn money. Rather, Du Bois argues there should be a balance between the "standards of lower training" and the "standards of human culture and lofty ideals of life." In effect, the African American college should train the "Talented Tenth" who can in turn contribute to lower education and also act as liaisons in improving race relations.

W.E.B. Du Bois was a man with impressive accomplishments and achievements. He was the first ever African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University and he

On the other hand, Du Bois chose to publicly speak out against segregation and published many literary works that favored racial equality. He states in his chapter “Of the Training of Black Men” from his

One of his works during this time period was a famous empirical sociological study, The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study (1899). In the study, Du Bois examined the city's African American population and made recommendations on a number of things, including school reform. This study was dedicated to "combating the pseudo-science of racial bigots"(Franklin, 1990, p. 53). Du Bois stated that the "problem was in my mind a matter of systematic investigation and intelligent understanding. The world was thinking wrong about race, because it did not know. The ultimate evil was stupidity"(Du Bois, 1940, p. 58). Du Bois deeply believed in the power of basic research to reveal truth, such as natural laws that in turn would dictate a plan of action to overcome racial injustices. From this research he decided upon an action plan of "self help, duty and discipline, efficiency, thrift, interracial economic cooperation, and group pride" to help his race (Tuttle, 1973, p.

William Edward Burgardt was an African-American leading sociologist, writer, and activist (Staff, 2009). He was educated at Harvard University, as well as, other top schools (Staff, 2009). William studied with some of the best social thinkers of his time (Staff, 2009). He rose to fame with his publication of such works as Souls Black Folk that was created in 1903 (Staff, 2009). Furthermore, he was one of the founders for the NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who also had their own magazine, and Dubious helped with the editing of the magazine (Staff, 2009). William was a teacher at various universities, such as: Wilberforce University, and Atlanta University as well as, a chair for the Peace information Center (Staff, 2009). Du Bois and Washington has quite the rivalry over the racial uplift.

Civil Rights Activist W.E.B. Du Bois tackles a difficult era in American History following the Civil War which is known as Reconstruction. The era itself is well known for its lack of objectivity in the ways it has been viewed by white historians prior to the publication of this book in 1935. Du Bois book, Black Reconstruction in America: An Essay Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860–1880 attempts to revise the writings of pervious historians, who were devoted to their own sectional causes, partisan viewpoints and racist beliefs on Reconstruction.

African Americans during the 1900s lived lives full of uncertainty. They were no longer slaves, but still looked upon by many as inferior to the white race. However in this period of tension, there were men who sought to bring their race to new heights. One of these men was W.E.B Du Bois. Few have influenced the lives of African Americans in such a way as W.E.B Du Bois. The vision he had for African Americans was one that many found great hope in. He sought for the day that his race for finally have civil equality in every aspect of life.

The turn-of-the-century W.E.B Du Bois wrote his seminal text The Souls of Black Folk in response to what was then called the 'Negro Problem.' The 'Negro Problem' was the question of whether African-Americans should be treated as equal within the firmament of American society and whether integration or separate but equal were more viable doctrines. Du Bois wrote against such advocates of acceptance like Booker T. Washington, and instead demanded parity for his people in terms of opportunities. In the first essay of Du Bois' book entitled "Our Spiritual Strivings," Du Bois writes of his frustrations as a young, African-American child who was intelligent and thoughtful yet all too well aware of how his race would limit his ability to pursue his studies although he

The history of the black race in Africa and America was documented in Black Folk, Then and Now: An Essay in the History and Sociology of the Negro Race. Echoing in the Saturday Review of Literature, H. J. Seligmann noted that nobody can neglect the role of the blacks in the making of the world history. Another compliment was made by Barrett Williams. In the Boston Transcript, Williams pointed out that Professor Du Bois had overlooked one of the strongest arguments against racial discrimination. In it, a man of color has proved himself, in the complex and exacting field of scholarship, the full equal of his white colleagues (Gale schools, 2004).

W.E.B. Du Bois is considered one of the top five people of the twentieth century. He is an intellectual, who is admired by both his supporters and adversaries. Du Bois, in his essay, tells his audience that he is not only a genius among blacks, but he is also a revered scholar of humankind. He is well educated among prestigious universities such as Fisk, Harvard, and Heidelberg, and is the first African American to earn a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. Mr. Du Bois is not a meager intellectual, whose intelligence is measured by the capacity of his knowledge, but he also uses his knowledge to fight for the equality of his people. Among the different identities of Du Bois, he is also the founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As a reader, one interprets that Du Bois' essay is an authentic narration of the life of African Americans. Du Bois uses context from his point of view as a free man; therefore, his words are less biased than his counterparts. He allows the readers to freely establish their own perspective on the problem of the color people by giving them the chance to see the lives of African Americans before the Civil War through Reconstruction. Du Bois also uses historical references, case studies, and personal storytelling examples to define the problem of the people of African heritage in the United States. The first chapters of The Souls of Black Folk contain historically relevant material,

In 1899, Du Bois published The Philadelphia Negro, a pioneering work of sociology. Du Bois interviewed as many as 5,000 people and sought to prove there were class distinctions within black society. He urged whites not to focus on intermarriage, but to concentrate on cooperating with the black aristocracy to provide

W. E. B. Du Bois was a well-known scholar and activist. W. E. B. Du Bois was one of the many important African-American activists during the first half of the twentieth century, he was a co-founder of the NAACP, which is called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Also supported the Pan-Africanism. Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Du Bois had went to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1895 he was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. Back then white people would only be able to attain a degree like that do to