The Souls of Black Folks



The Souls of Black Folks

Introduction

W.E.B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk (1903) is a seminal work in African American publications and an American classic. In this work Du Bois suggests that "the difficulty of the Twentieth Century is the difficulty of the color-line." His notions of life behind the veil of rush and the producing "double-consciousness, this sense of habitually looking at one's self through the eyes of others," have become touchstones for considering about rush in America. In supplement to these enduring notions, Souls boasts an evaluation of the advancement of the rush, the obstacles to that advancement, and the possibilities for future advancement as the territory went into the twentieth century.

 

Analysis

Du Bois examines the years directly next the Civil War and, in specific, the Freedmen's Bureau's function in Reconstruction. The Bureau's flops were due not only to south disagreement and "national neglect," but furthermore to misconduct and enclosures that were biased "in favor of very dark litigants." The Bureau did have achievements as well, and its most significant assistance to advancement was the origin of African American schools. Since the end of Reconstruction in 1876, Du Bois assertions that the most important happening in African American annals has been the increase of the teacher, Booker T. Washington, to the function of representative for the race. Du Bois contends that Washington's set about to rush relatives is counterproductive to the long-run advancement of the race. Washington's acceptance of segregation and his focus on material advancement comprise an "old mind-set of change and submission." Du Bois claims that this principle has impaired African Americans by assisting to the decrease of the ballot, the decrease of municipal rank, and the decrease of help for organizations of higher education. Du Bois asserts that "the right ...