Who was W. E. B. Du Bois? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: W.E.B. DuBois, W. E. B. Du Bois, W.E.B. Du Bois

Died At Age: 95

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Nina Gomer Du Bois, Shirley Graham Du Bois

father: Alfred Du Bois

mother: Mary Silvina Du Bois

Born Country: Ghana

African American Men African American Authors

Died on: August 27, 1963

place of death: Accra, Ghana

Founder/Co-Founder: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Niagara Movement

More Facts

education: Harvard University, Fisk University, Humboldt University of Berlin, Harvard College

awards: 1920 - Spingarn Medal
1959 - Lenin Peace Prize

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1

What contributions did W. E. B. Du Bois make to the civil rights movement?

W. E. B. Du Bois was a key figure in the civil rights movement, advocating for racial equality and the end of segregation. He co-founded the NAACP and edited its magazine, "The Crisis," to provide a platform for African American voices.
2

How did W. E. B. Du Bois impact the field of sociology?

W. E. B. Du Bois is known for his pioneering sociological research on race relations in the United States. His work challenged prevailing theories of racial inferiority and highlighted the social construction of race.
3

What was the significance of W. E. B. Du Bois' concept of "double consciousness?"

W. E. B. Du Bois introduced the concept of "double consciousness," which describes the internal conflict experienced by African Americans who must navigate their identity in a society that views them as inferior. This concept remains influential in discussions of race and identity.
4

How did W. E. B. Du Bois' views on Pan-Africanism influence the global black community?

W. E. B. Du Bois was a prominent advocate for Pan-Africanism, the idea of unity among people of African descent worldwide. His efforts helped foster solidarity among black communities globally and laid the groundwork for future movements for African independence.
5

What were W. E. B. Du Bois' criticisms of Booker T. Washington's approach to racial uplift?

W. E. B. Du Bois criticized Booker T. Washington's accommodationist approach to racial uplift, arguing that it perpetuated racial inequality and failed to address the systemic barriers facing African Americans. Du Bois advocated for full civil rights and educational opportunities for black Americans.

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Childhood & Early Life

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts to Alfred and Mary Silvina Du Bois. He was of mixed race, and identified himself as a “mulatto”. His father left the family when William was just two years old, and his mother moved in with her parents.

The community he grew up in was a relatively tolerant one. He attended a local integrated public school where he became friends with white students. He was a bright young boy and his talents were duly recognized by his white teachers. Still, as a person of mixed race, he was subjected to some racism.

He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1885 to attend Fisk University from where he earned his bachelor’s degree. It was here that he became aware of the rampant racism that blacks faced and was deeply disturbed by the incidents of bigotry, lynching and suppression of black rights.

He attended Harvard College from 1888 to 1890 and earned a second bachelor's degree, cum laude, in history. As he hailed from a modest background, he had to pay for his education by working in summer jobs and borrowing funds from friends.

He excelled in studies and received a fellowship from the John F. Slater Fund for the Education of Freedmen to attend the University of Berlin for graduate work in 1892. He travelled extensively while studying at Berlin, and studied with some of the country’s most prominent social scientists, including Gustav von Schmoller, Adolph Wagner, and Heinrich von Treitschke.

In 1895, he became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University, and his doctoral dissertation, ‘The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade to the United States of America, 1638–1870’, was published in 1896.

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Career

W.E.B. Du Bois accepted a teaching job at Wilberforce University in Ohio where he became acquainted with Alexander Crummell, who believed that ideas and morals are necessary tools to effect social change.

From Wilberforce he moved to the University of Pennsylvania as an "assistant in sociology" in 1896 and performed sociological field research in Philadelphia's African-American neighborhoods.

He became a professor of history and economics at the Atlanta University in Georgia in 1897. There he published the first case study of an African-American community, ‘The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study’ (1899), which was based on the field work he did in 1896–1897.

He proved to be a prolific writer and published several papers over the ensuing years. He also emerged as a prominent voice of the African-American community in early 20th century, next only to Booker T. Washington who was the director of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

The two men, however, had different ideologies regarding civil rights activism, and when Washington proposed the Atlanta Compromise, Du Bois and several others like Archibald H. Grimke, Kelly Miller, James Weldon Johnson and Paul Laurence Dunbar vehemently opposed him.

In 1903, he published ‘The Souls of Black Folk’ which went on to be considered a seminal work in the history of sociology. The book contains several essays on race, many of them covering Du Bois’ own experiences as an African-American in the American society.

Du Bois teamed up with several other African-American civil rights activists like Jesse Max Barber and William Monroe Trotter, and held a conference in Canada, near Niagara Falls. The meeting marked the beginning of what was incorporated as the Niagara Movement in 1906. This new movement opposed the Atlanta Compromise and called for full and equal rights in every realm of a black person's life.

He attended the National Negro Conference in New York in May 1909 following which the National Negro Committee was created. The committee was dedicated to campaigning for civil rights, equal voting rights, and equal educational opportunities. In 1910, the attendees formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Du Bois soon took up the position of Director of Publicity and Research in NAACP after resigning from the Atlanta University. In this position, he edited the association’s monthly magazine, ‘The Crisis’ which became phenomenally successful and reached a circulation of 100,000 in 1920.

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As the editor of ‘The Crisis’, he wrote many hard-hitting articles calling for equal rights for not just the blacks, but also the women. He encouraged the development of black literature and urged the blacks to develop a separate “group economy” as a tool for fighting economic discrimination and black poverty. While his radical ideologies made him immensely popular as a powerful voice for black rights, it also led to numerous ideological clashes within NAACP. He eventually resigned from the editorship of ‘The Crisis’ and the NAACP in 1934.

He then returned to the Atlanta University and spent the next several years teaching. He published numerous literary works during the 1930s and 1940s, and returned to the NAACP in a research position in 1944.

Major Works

Du Bois was a prolific author and one of his best known works is the ‘The Souls of Black Folk’, considered to be a seminal work in the history of sociology. One of the early works in the field of sociology, it contains several essays on the basic rights of the blacks, including right to vote, the right to a good education, and to be treated with equality and justice.

He was the editor of ‘The Crisis’, the highly successful official magazine of the NAACP. Primarily a current-affairs journal, ‘The Crisis’ also included poems, reviews, and essays on culture and history. For as long as he was the editor, the journal published the work of many young African-American writers associated with the Harlem Renaissance.

Awards & Achievements

The NAACP awarded the Spingarn Medal to Du Bois in 1920.

He was awarded the International Lenin Peace Prize by the USSR in 1959.

Personal Life & Legacy

W.E.B. Du Bois married Nina Gomer on May 12, 1896. The couple was blessed with two children. Nina died in 1950.

He married Shirley Graham, an author, playwright, composer and activist, in 1951. Shirley had a son from a previous relationship, David. Some historians allege that Du Bois also had several extramarital relationships.

W.E.B. Du Bois moved to Ghana in his later years, and died on August 27, 1963, at the age of 95, and still active in his work.

Facts About W. E. B. Du Bois

Du Bois was the first African American to earn a Ph.D from Harvard University, where he studied history and sociology.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Du Bois was also a talented artist and created several powerful and thought-provoking pieces of artwork throughout his life.

Du Bois was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and played a key role in advocating for civil rights and racial equality.

W. E. B. Du Bois Biography

You wanted to know

What contributions did W. E. B. Du Bois make to the civil rights movement?

How did W. E. B. Du Bois impact the field of sociology?

What was the significance of W. E. B. Du Bois' concept of "double consciousness?"

How did W. E. B. Du Bois' views on Pan-Africanism influence the global black community?

What were W. E. B. Du Bois' criticisms of Booker T. Washington's approach to racial uplift?