William Du Bois
The history of the black American struggle is full of leaders who made notable contributions that shaped the course of events. One of the greatest heroes of the black struggle is William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. He made his contributions to the African-American struggle as a scholar, civil rights activist and Pan-Africanist. He spent his childhood in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where he was born (Lewis and Eagles 18). He won a scholarship to Frisk University in Nashville, during which he taught in rural Tennessee during summer vacations to help pay for his studies. It is here that he directly experienced the Jim Crow laws, after which he became a civil rights activist. After graduating, he proceeded to Harvard University where he studied under Professor William James, an expert in American philosophy. He graduated from Harvard University in 1890 and then proceeded to the prestigious University of Berlin for advanced level of study (Lewis and Eagles 56). During his stay in Berlin, he travelled all over Europe and encountered prominent German social scientists like Gustav von Schmoller, Heinrich von Treitschke and Adolph Wagner. He later returned to Harvard University where he eventually became the first recognized African American to attain a PhD qualification within the recognized institution (Lewis and Eagles 94).
As a scholar, William Du Bois used his writing to support the struggle. He was a sociologist, educator, journalist, essayist, novelist, playwright and poet. He is credited for writing 21 books and numerous articles and essays surpassing the 100 mark. From 1897 to 1910, he had managed to attain the qualification of professor within the department of economics and history within the famous Atlanta University (Du Bois and McSweeney 36). During this time, he organized conferences under the banner ‘Atlanta University Studies of the Negro Problem’. He was editor or co-editor of 16 annual publications at the institution. Some of these corporations involved the Economic Cooperation that supported African Americans, The Negro American Family, and The Negro in Business. Another publication that stood out in 1903 was “The Souls of Black Folk” (Du Bois and McSweeney 87)’. His scholarly work earned him several honorary degrees. He was a rewarded and awarded membership at the “National Institute of Arts and Letters”, and other organizations like “American Association for the Advancement of Science” (Lewis and Eagles 134).
He later gained the highest office when he gained the chair title within the sociology department at Atlanta University in 1934 and served until 1944. During this time, he started a social science quarterly publication called ‘Phylon’ in 1940, and wrote what is widely recognized as his outstanding pieces, ‘Black Reconstruction in America,’ completed in 1935 (Lewis & Eagles 203). This work highlighted the role of the blacks considered minor within the American Society during the Reconstruction period. In the book, he claimed that most of American history had been recorded with racial bias, and this caused a lot of controversy. He was criticized further for advancing Marxist ideas in the book. Du Bois wrote about the origin of the black people that had been from Africa leading to the New World in one of his masterpieces, ‘Black Folk, Then and Now’ (Du Bois & McSweeney 42). He also used his writing to advocate for Africans to be granted independence. Du Bois used many of his works to highlight the complexity, struggle and the components of the struggle that emerged within African history and customs.
During the early 1900s, William Du Bois had developed his career and progressed as a respected spokesperson for blacks. Around that time, the most prominent African-American activist was Booker T. Washington (Randolph 184). Du Bois felt that Washington was not using his influential position to do enough in advancing the rights of blacks. The two black leaders differed on ideology and various issues. Booker T. Washington had brokered a deal with the white farmers of the south, which did not guarantee full rights for African Americans. In the deal, African Americans would agree to some elements of discrimination and segregation, and in return, they would be granted partial rights.
William Du Bois belonged to the school of thought that believed African Americans ought to fight for full equal rights, rather than settle for partial rights offered in the Atlanta Compromise signed by Washington (Du Bois & McSweeney 176). Du Bois used some of his writings to attack Washington and his policies. In one of his books, Du Bois included a strong attack on Booker T. Washington and his failures. He felt that Washington relied heavily on wealthy white donors to fund his organization so he could be influenced easily. As a scholar, Du Bois read the works of Jack London, Henry George and John Spargo, which inspired him to support socialism. He strongly believed that socialism held the best hope for African Americans.
In 1905, William Du Bois teamed up with other recognized African American activists like William Monroe Trotter, Jesse Max Barber and Frederick McGhee to form the Niagara Movement (Du Bois & McSweeney 53). Du Bois held the position of general secretary, and their group attracted the support of African American scholars and professionals. Since most of the publishers were sympathetic to Washington at that time, Du Bois bought a small printing press to use for the group’s publications. Their publications included ‘The Moon Illustrated Weekly’ and The Horizon’. In 1909, William Du Bois joined forces with other civil rights activists to form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was appointed to the position of Director that charged him the task of overseeing research and he sat in the Board of Directors (Randolph 123). His biggest contribution during this time saw him become the chief editor within NAACP’s periodical, ‘The Crisis,’ published monthly. He used the publication to advance the course for civil rights of black people while also attacking Booker T. Washington. ‘The Crisis’ magazine became very popular amongst blacks and sympathetic whites, selling over 100,000 copies per month by 1919 (Lewis & Eagles 152).
Du Bois used the ‘Crisis’ magazine to campaign against the Jim Crow laws, lynching and sexual inequality (Sirimarco 109). After WW1, the NAACP was at the forefront in pushing for anti-lynching legislation, and William Du Bois was the leading figure, especially due to his pieces in ‘Crisis’. In 1915, the magazine published an article that listed all the lynching that had occurred in the country year by year, from 1884 to 1914 (Lewis & Eagles 106). Major lynching incidents were exposed and given publicity by the magazine as Du Bois pushed for lynching to be abolished completely. He also supported women’s rights in his writings. He believed that securing women’s rights was helpful in pushing for full rights for everyone (Sirimarco 54). He used some of his editorials to support the movement for unionized labor. However, he sharply criticized the leadership since blacks were systematically excluded from membership. Between 1910 and 1912, William Du Bois joined the Socialist party (Sirimarco 63). However, some of the Socialist party leaders demonstrated racism, and he had to denounce them.
Du Bois used his writings in ‘Crisis’ to expose and oppose the racism practiced in employment in federal government positions and the private sector. Most of the federal agencies had a policy for employing whites only while the Army did not promote blacks to officer ranks. In an editorial in 1914, he exposed how blacks were being dismissed from federal posts, plus other problems blacks faced at the workplace (Du Bois & McSweeney 78). When William Monroe Trotter openly confronted President Wilson for not delivering on his promises and especially towards African Americans, Du Bois openly supported Trotter. As blacks started the Great Migration in the early 20th century from the Southern regions of the U.S. to the North East, and West region, he supported the idea and encouraged many blacks to migrate. He believed that the Great Migration would give blacks a chance to escape the racism in the south. They would also get economic opportunities and be assimilated into American society (Sirimarco 191).
Du Bois was one of three members chosen by the NAACP to represent the organization during the formation of the UN during the 1945 meeting that was held in San Francisco (Sirimarco 86). The NAACP was pushing the UN to proclaim racial equality and end colonialism. He drafted a proposal that denounced the colonial system of government and managed to garner support from countries like Russia, China and India. However, the major powers at the time ignored the proposals, and they were eventually left out of the UN Charter (Du Bois & McSweeney 134). He published his book, ‘Color and Democracy’ after the conference and used it to attack and expose the ills of the colonial empires. After WWII, the famous Du Bois assumed the role of a vocal anti-war activist. He was invited to give a speech at the conference for World Peace held in New York in 1949 (Randolph 95). In the same year, he also spoke at the famous World Congress of Partisans of Peace (Lewis & Eagles 181). He used this opportunity to criticize the United States for leading a new era of colonial imperialism.
William Du Bois did not spend his energies championing the rights of black Americans only, but was also concerned with the plight of all people of African descent. He was an active member of the Pan-African Movement. He participated in the first Pan-African conference that had been organized in London where he was assigned the role of the vice-president. The known Niagara Movement that he had founded in 1905 had a “Pan-African department” to show solidarity with African descendants all over the world. Du Bois organized several Pan-African conferences in different parts of the world from 1919 up to the year 1927 (Lewis & Eagles 165). These conferences attracted delegations of intellectuals from Africa, the United States and West Indies. They passed several resolutions that were anti-colonialism and supported independence of African nations. During the fifth Pan-African Congress held in Manchester, England in 1945, Du Bois was elected president of the Pan-African Movement (Randolph 207). Some of the leaders at this conference included Kwame Nkruma and George Padmore, both of which went on to lead independence movements in their respective countries. True to his Pan-Africanist ideals, Du Bois later relocated to Ghana at the age of 91 and became a naturalized citizen. He died on 27 August, the year 1963 aged 95 (Lewis & Eagles 245). Ghana held a state funeral and buried him in the capital Accra.
Works Cited
Du, Bois W. E. B, and Edward F. McSweeney. The Gift of Black Folk: The Negroes in the Making of America. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Pub, 2009. Print.
Lewis, David L, and Charles W. Eagles. The Civil Rights Movement in America: Essays. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1986. Internet resource.
Randolph, Ryan P. W.e.b. Du Bois: The Fight for Civil Rights. New York: Power Plus Books, 2005. Print.
Sirimarco, Elizabeth. The Civil Rights Movement. New York: Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, 2005. Print.
