The Souls of Black Folk

The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois

WEB. Du Bois published THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK, a collection of essays, in 1903. It was immediately hailed as an extraordinary literary work. THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK explored a variety of themes in black life, from the history of Freedmen's Bureau and black music to Du Bois's experiences teaching in rural Georgia and Tennessee. Her short "Forecast" includes one of her most famous lines: "The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line."

In a memorable and eloquent passage, he describes one of the challenges African Americans must face: "It's a peculiar feeling, this double-consciousness, this feeling of always looking at yourself through the eyes of others, of measuring the soul by the tape of a world that looks on with amusing contempt and pity. One always feels its two-ness: an American, a black; two souls, two thoughts, two irreconcilable struggles; two ideals at war in a dark body, whose tenacious strength alone prevents it from breaking into pieces. "
What made the book such a sensation was that it was the first widely public take in the debate between Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Until the turn of the century, Du Bois had supported Washington and even congratulated him on his 1895 Atlanta Compromise speech. In SOULS, Du Bois, while praising Washington for its contributions to career advancement, also criticized Washington. for their failures. to speak on their behalf:
"... to the extent that Mr. Washington apologizes for injustice, the North and South do not correctly value the privilege and duty of voting, belittle the emasculating effects of caste distinctions, and oppose the formation and higher education from our brightest minds, so to the extent that he, the South, or the Nation do this, we must relentlessly and firmly oppose them.

THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK marks the beginning of Du Bois's transition from scholar to activist. He criticized Washington in several articles and in 1905 formed a civil rights organization, The Niagara Movement, which, although short-lived, was a forerunner of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), which Du Bois helped to establish. found in 1909.