The Story Of W. E. B. Dubois

We live in a country that has a pledge of allegiance that says “freedom for all” however black communities have not received their freedom. Freedom is defined as the power and right to act, speak, or think as one wants without any restraint. African Americans have not been allowed to enjoy any of these luxuries even after the end of slavery. African Americans had to face a variety of issues such as segregation, mass incarceration and poverty. These challenges continue to oppress African Americans, therefore, they still have to struggle to obtain freedom. Freedom in which they feel accepted anywhere and are exposed to the same opportunities and support as any other race. With leaders like, Reverend T. J. Jemison and W. E. B. DuBois, African Americans have been reminded and encouraged to keep striving through their life filled with struggles because they

W.E.B DuBois, a well known civil liberties advocate, in his speech, Niagara Movement, illuminates the need for racial equality in America. DuBois’ purpose is to call white Americans to action, as well as highlight the effects of the African American’s white superiors excluding them from simple, constitutionally given, liberties. He adopts an authoritative tone in order to establish a feeling of guilt for the white people who determine the rights given to African-Americans. W.E.B DuBois convinces his audience that African-Americans should become equal on a social, economical and political level, through the use of emotional diction, reasonable ideas and a dominant tone.

This book illustrates how demeaning it is for blacks to beg for basic rights that inherently belong to them. This book encouraged him to meet with black scholars whom he named the "talented tenth." In 1905, he began to meet with these scholars to discuss civil rights issues (Lewis, 1). These meeting were known as the Niagara Movement (Lewis, 1). After five years of meeting the NAACP was formed and Dubois was Director of Publicity and Research (Lewis, 1).

The end of the Civil War was followed almost immediately by a new wave that would see the African Americans face great suffering and discrimination. As newly freed slaves, African Americans were presented with a dilemma to either curve a new niche in a society that once viewed and treated them as mere properties than humans. It was during these difficult times that two key figures in the African American History rose as paramount leaders of two sharply contrasting philosophical camps. The Massachusettian William Edward Burghardt and the Virginian Booker T. Washington, both held two completely contrasting proposals about the best approach for African American to overcome and thrive in the mist of their suffering and racial discrimination. Although their approaches greatly differed, both of these noble men shared a common goal in uplifting the black community in history. The aim of this paper is to argue in the contrasting philosophies of these two key figures in the history of African America.

The second quotes that stands out to me from W.E.B Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903) from page 418 “Few know of these problems, few who know notice them; and yet there are awaiting student, artist, and seer, a field for somebody sometime to discover”. This quote is trying to say that they know the problem is going on and they don’t want to do nothing about because they are waiting for somebody to come and show them what to do, but some of them already figure out what to do. “In the Black World, the Preacher and Teacher embodied once the ideals of this people, the strife for another and a juster world, the vague dream of righteousness, the mystery of knowing; but today the danger is that these ideals, with their simple beauty and weir

In my own opinion Booker T. Washington gave the best advice. The emphasis of W.E.B. Dubois is on blacks gaining equality with whites. Dubois believed that blacks should be educated and be book smart, in their quest to gaining equality with the whites. On the Contrary, Washington’s philosophy is based on the belief that blacks should get education and develop capabilities so that they can be useful to the society. He believed that blacks will have better standing in the society (and not necessarily equality) if they will put their attention on developing themselves rather than fighting for equality. I see this position of Washington as a wise position that could foster peaceful co-existence among Americans. While I do not consider Dubois’

life in the US since before he had gained entry into Fisk University, his first attended college.

Race relations have always been a very controversial topic in this country and still are. In the mid-1900s there were many writers who felt very strongly about how African Americans and white people interacted together. In this paper three individual excerpts by three different authors will be discussed. All three of these authors have different viewpoints because of how they see the world based on their individual life experiences.

African-Americans have fought on many of liberty’s battlefields from the pre-emancipated plantation to the killing fields of the Civil War. African-Americans have always been willing to fight not just for their freedom, but for their country as well. Yet, their country never lived up to its founding document that asserts that, “All men are created equal; ”instead,

For decades there has been a great deal of controversy over the importance of African American citizens. The Souls of Black Folks, by W.E.B. DuBois, and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement both have multiple similarities that deserve to be thoroughly examined. Although DuBois’ work and the modern day movement occurred decades apart, some common similarities include: the realization in the black souls that they are seen differently, the lack of fairness towards black people, and the great divide between black and white citizens.

William Edward Burkhardt DuBois, whom we all know as W.E.B. DuBois; was a novelist, public speaker, poet, editor, author, leader, teacher, scholar, and romantic. He graduated from high school at the age of 16, and was selected as the valedictorian, being that he was the only black in his graduating class of 12. He was orphaned shortly after his graduation and was forced to fund his own college education. He was a pioneer in black political thoughts and known by many as a main figure in the history of African-American politics. W.E.B. DuBois attended Fisk University, where he was awarded a scholarship after he graduated high school. Fisk University was located in Nashville, Tennessee. While attending this University, this is where he saw

3.) According to DuBois, “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” Using several representative examples, consider how American writers (of any color) since the Civil War have addressed this problem.

The Crisis was a magazine that W.E.B DuBois created in 1910 and it was also the official magazine of the NAACP. DuBois was not only the founder of this magazine, but he was also the editor. The targeted audience of this magazine was the African American community. At this point in time a magazine that was ran by Black people and for Black people was unheard of. The purpose of this magazine was to shine light on who and what the Black community was, to create an outlet where Black scholars could share their work, and it was a source where Black people could get useful information (the information was tailored to the Black community’s needs) from trusted sources. The magazine became very influential, at its peak the magazine had 100,000 readers

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.

Regardless of the era, white people may never understand a struggle African-American meets. Still today, racism is alive and police brutality is high as ever. In Birmingham, the expectation was black people will get over enslavement, but slavery is not something to get over when you are stripped of your history and self-worth. Martin Luther King Jr. confesses, "to years now I have heard the word "Wait!". It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never" (344). This statement is essential because it demonstrates the prominent reason Birmingham campaign occurred. If African-American did not continuously crave for freedom, they would still be brutalized, and white people would realize no