Book Club - Author Spotlight
In 1884 he became the first African American graduate of the town's racially integrated high school, and went on to enroll at Harvard in 1888. He received his BA in 1890, MA in 1891, and PhD in 1895.
Influenced by history and philosophy, he devoted most of his life's work to studying Black Americans from a sociological point of view. His doctoral thesis was titled, "The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870," published in 1896.
Du Bois was then invited to conduct a study of the Seventh Ward in Philadelphia, which produced The Philadelphia Negro in 1899. During his time there, he also delivered an address, "The Study of the Negro Problem." He was advancing the purpose and methods for scholarly examination of the condition of black people, and he was passionate about the conservation of the African American culture and identity.
Most famously, in 1903, he published The Souls of Black Folk, a collection of essays on race, labor, and culture. In it, he states, "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." He also refers to a "Veil," the visual manifestation of the color line, and the vastly different view of the world and opportunities that African Americans have.
He encourages a path toward progress with enfranchisement, political power, and education.
In 1909, Du Bois helped found the NAACP.
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