Civil Rights Activist. B. Du Bois

In “Reconstruction Revisited”, Eric Foner reexamines the political, social, and economic experiences of black and white Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War. With the help of many historian works, Foner gives equal representation to both sides of the Reconstruction argument.

In the late 19th and 20th century, African Americans were going through hardships. At this period of time, they wanted improvement and wanted to be treated equality but no one had the political background to fight with the Whites. However, two great leaders named Booker Washington and W.E.B Du Bois took the stance and fought for improvement. But, even though they had the goals, they had different strategies for the community.

Du Bois, further exploring the two sides of the veil and the persistence of the double consciousness entangling Blacks, developed very specific conceptions of equality for Blacks in America. He defined social as not only referring “to the intimate contacts of the family group and of personal companions, but also and increasingly to the whole vast complex of human relationships through which we carry out our cultural pattern” and socially equal society as one where “private social intercourse (marriages, friendships, home entertainment), public services (residence areas, travel, recreation and information, hotels and restaurants), and social uplift (education, religion, science and art) are openly and freely accessible to Blacks, in thought, expression and action” (Du Bois 1995a, 614). The delineation of specific areas needing improvement reflects the inequalities experienced by Black Americans at the time. Such a conceptualization would not be possible without a deep understanding of the experiences of Blacks and Whites on either side of the

The struggle for equality and the battle to have one’s suppressed voice be heard is prevalent throughout the history of the United States. The Native Americans, women, and even Catholics have all encountered discrimination and belittlement in one shape or form, which eventually urged individuals within those groups to rise up and demand equal opportunity. As the United States began to shift away from slavery, one of the most deep rooted, controversial dilemmas aroused- what do black people need to do in order to gain civil rights both economically and socially? Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Exposition Address” and W.E.B. Du Bois's “The Soul of Black Folks” were pieces of writings influenced by the puzzle that black people were left to solve. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois had contrasting ideas, but they both contributed a piece to the puzzle in hopes of solving the never ending mind game.

* In this text, W.E.B. Du Bois analyzes Booker T. Washington’s views on race in America. Du Bois acknowledges many of Washington’s accomplishments, such as how Washington began Tuskegee University and how Washington could cater to both the Northerners and the Southerners. On the contrary to praising him, Du Bois also subtly criticizes how Washington approaches dealing with racism. Washington believes that Blacks should be submissive rather than challenge the White people. Washington asks the Blacks to give up three things, political power, insistence on civil rights, and higher education of Negro youth. Du Bois then goes on to show the results of Washington’s ideals, such as the

W.E.B Du Bois wrote Black Reconstruction in America during a time in which people viewed the Reconstruction as a complete failure. Du Bois decided to write an entire book discussing the racial aspect of the Reconstruction and argue against its failure. To start the book, he went over three groups of people; the Black worker, the White worker and the planter. These three groups are central to Black Reconstruction because it begins with the Black worker, then proceeds to address the White worker and how their movements affected each other. It concludes by recognizing the planter and how they viewed their Black slaves. Black slaves were the most exploited group during Black Reconstruction; however, despite being the most exploited group of

When Washington was delivering the Atlanta Exposition he claimed that “according of the full exercise of political rights is going to be a matter of natural, slow growth, not an over-night [Sic] gourd-vine affair”. However, Du Bois believed that it was necessary to agitate and upset to gain voting rights for African Americans, essentially believing that their freedom and their right to vote had to be explosive and upset the social order. Through political power, Du Bois felt that economic security and material gains could be achieved. But Washington opposed the direct militancy of Du Bois. Washington made the point that the militancy would only serve to upset the whites in the south, which in turn would limit African American voting rights. Much of their differences in suffrage can be understood through their respective backgrounds. Washington was a former slave, so his experiences later affected how he viewed voting. His subservience to his ‘masters’ as to not upset or cause unnecessary violence is apparent in his pragmatic and slow evolving voting ideals. While Du Bois grew up in a white European neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, relatively secluded from the Jim Crow Laws of the South. Du Bois’ self proclaimed elitist attitude, reveals the most important difference and reasoning between him and Washington on the matter of the need for African American suffrage. Du Bois, from experience, knew that suffrage in the north was a far more attainable goal after the Civil

In W. E. B. Du Bois’ book Black Reconstruction, he discusses the various topics of African American history through the process of Reconstruction. Through its rise and fall, he covers different vantage points and opinions attempting to incorporate all relevant ideas and positions. However, through this process, one theme that transcends throughout is his belief in the strict principles of Marxist economic theory. When applying this to the eventual fall of the Reconstruction era, he constricts the viewpoint to only focus to that of what Marxist theory would have to say for it, however, it must be remembered that complex issues deserve equally complex solutions. While Du Bois’ application of Marxist principles is not one-dimensional, his

W.E.B. Du Bois was a major force in twentieth-century society, whose aim in life was to help define African-American social and political causes in the United States. History writes that W.E.B. Du Bois was a sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and Pan-Africanist. However, white people who feared him labeled him a trouble maker and some black people saw him as an outcast. No matter what Du Bois’s critics thought about him, Du Bois was the voice of African-American fight for equality. As a prolific writer and speaker he was regarded by many as a prophet. Historical record researched and documented revealed, Du Bois is mostly “known for his conflict with Booker T. Washington over the role of blacks in American society. In an essay on Booker T. Washington, Du Bois praised Washington for preaching Thrift, Patience, and Industrial trainee emasculation effects of caste distinctions, opposes to the higher training of young African-American minds”. My essay will focus on one of Du Bois’s most famous works “The Souls of Black Folk” written in (1903). Because the short story is so detailed I am going to focus on two of his most controversial concepts (veils and double-consciousness). The concepts that Du Bois used to describe the quintessential African-American experience and how white-American views defined them in the 20th century. I will use scenarios to explain how these concepts affected the identity of African-Americans.

William Edward Burghardt, also known as "W. E. B." Du Bois, was a civil rights activist, journalist, educator, and an American sociologist among many other things. In addition, Du Bois was an author of an extremely influential book, “The Souls of Black Folk.” Published in 1903, the Civil Rights Movement was merely at its peak when this occurred. Not only molding a form of sociology, Du Bois acted and performed in the movement inevitably.

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (W. E. B. Du Bois) had an spent a majority of his lifetime earning degrees, teaching others and learning from others. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fisk University in Tennessee. He then earned his master's degree and doctorate from Harvard University . Where “His dissertation, The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870, was published as No. 1 in the Harvard Historical Series.” (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, n.d) Then W. E. B. Du Bois went to learn from Max Weber at the University of Berlin. Later he was teaching courses at Wilberforce University on Greek and Latin and at Atlanta University on sociology. At Atlanta University he also did research and stay at the school for the majority of the rest of his career.

Following the Civil War, America was seeping with racial tension. Jim Crow laws were on the rise, as were miscegenation laws and lynchings. This proved that while blacks were free of slavery, their struggle for equality was far from over. With racial integration out of the question, prominent black leaders were forced to pull their resources and rethink their political strategies. Some of these leaders were Booker T. Washington, W.E.B Du Bois, Alexander Crummell, and Marcus Garvey. These four men’s political philosophies played a vital role in revitalizing black nationalism, cultural pride, and civil liberties at a time when all of these things seemed out of reach.

W.E.B. Du Bois is known by many for his work as a social activist, and his literary accomplishments. Less known are his contributions to sociology. As a sociologist Du Bois showed how race and racial inequalities shaped African Americans. He was particularly interested in the responses of African Americans to the mistreatment they endured from whites. His work showed how African Americans’ position in society in relation to whites compelled them to think and view themselves in a way that took account of their own perspective as well as the perspective of whites. This theory created by Du Bois was known as Double Consciousness. Although the theory did not receive much recognition within sociology at the time, it is now used more frequently

There comes a point and time in history when certain individuals excel and stand out above their peers. They fight for humanity and justice as if the hope for tomorrow has started to slip away. They personally take blame and are ridiculed for their beliefs but this does not hamper their efforts as it only gives them more ambition to be heard. As you will see in this paper there is one individual that not only stood for human rights but he stood for a culture that has been repressed for centuries. Born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s official job titles were to include educator, civil rights activist and journalist (Bolden, 2008). He was known as a social reformer to the psychology

It wasn’t until the 1930s when some historians, such as Vann C. Woodward, began to significantly challenge Dunning’s traditional view of Reconstruction. During 1910, there an attempt by W.E.B. Du Bois to counter his opinion but the attempt did not hold. In Black Reconstruction in America, Du Bois argues that the corruption spoken about was highly exaggerated and that Dunning overlooked many of Reconstruction’s achievements. Historians disregarded what Du Bois had to say because his use of the Marxist theory and because he was seen as a radical at the time. It was not until 20 years later when other historians, known as revisionists, began to echo Du Bois’ arguments. While these revisionists still saw Reconstruction as a failure, they disagreed with Dunning