W.E. B. DuBois Presented Objectively William Edward Burghardt DuBois was an intellectual “Jack of All Trades.” DuBois was a scholar , activist, writer, and an international diplomat. During his time, he was at least involved in if not in the forefront of every movement advocating equal rights for African Americans. DuBois provided the impetus for numerous organizations and periodicals. Dubois dedicated a part of himself to numerous worthy causes, but that same generosity had a detrimental effect on the out come of his efforts.
As a result of distributing his efforts amongst many worthy causes, DuBois rarely followed his individual dreams to complete fruition. Although DuBois may not have taken every step he could, he went farther than many people will ever go to better the lives of their people. DuBois made monumental contributions to history, politics, and to lives of African Americans that have been paralleled by few and eclipsed by none. DuBois discovered his purpose in life at the early age of twenty. Dubois was , he said “determined to make a scientific conquest of my environment , which would render the emancipation of the Negro race easier and quicker” (Stafford 35) . After discovering his purpose DuBois made a promise to himself and decided that he was devoting himself “toward a life that shall be an honor to the race ” (Stafford 35 ).
The first obstacle DuBois encountered was gaining support from his own people. At the beginning of the twentieth century , Americas most prominent Black leader was Booker T.
The Term Paper on Catcher In The Rye Holden Life People
Part one: 1. Holden s Hunting cap: His hat is something that makes him stand out from the crowd and society. To Holden, wearing his hat says that he s not going to be like all the rest of the phonies. It s also something that he really likes and he constantly talks about it being different. On page 22 he refers to his hat as a people shooting hat, meaning he shoots people down when he wears it ...
Washington. Washington believed that “Blacks should delay their campaign for political , social , and intellectual equality and concentrate chiefly on making economic gains ” ( 13 ).
In contrast , DuBois thought Washington ” perpetuated the view that blacks were an inferior people ” ( 14 ) .Most people live their lives conforming to societys standards . “DuBois was a part of an elite group of Blacks who defied the comfortable stereotypes cherished by white bigots ” ( 14 ).
“DuBois was one of the first Black intellectuals to advocate a militant solution to racial problems ” ( Ferris 180 ).
Previously , intellectuals sought equality through legislative procedures and playing on society’s ethics . Violence was often the angry outcry of the lesser educated black populus.
One of DuBoiss first endeavors was the Niagara Movement in 1905. This movement. Was started in response to Washingtons perpetuating policies. DuBois organized a select group of influential Blacls to discuss the current state of Black affairs. At their meeting the members proclaimed ” We want our children trained as intelligent human beings should be and we will fight for all time against any proposal to educate Black boys and girls simply as servants and underlings, or simply for the use of other people” ( Stafford 67 ).
They vowed ” to stand up for manhood rights , denounce and defeat oppressive laws, and assail the ears and the conscience of white Americans so long as America is unjust ” ( McKissack 67 ).
At this point DuBois needed a means yo spread his message. Also in 1905 ” DuBois launched a liberal journal called The Moon to publicize the Niagara Movements views, but the journal failed to reach a large audience and ground to a halt a half year later ” ( Marable 56 ).
This was just the first of several publications and organizations Dubois was to lead ” Though the Niagara Movement created a considerable stir , its maximum membership was only about 400 and beyond agitation its accomplishments were relatively limited ” ( Meier 48 ).
The last meeting of the movement was held in 1909. DuBois was involved in numerous overlapping activities. Also in 1905 DuBois started The Horizon which was another short – lived periodical which lasted about three years. In 1909 a meeting was held to discuss Black advancement.
The Term Paper on Middle Class Black People White
The American people have a serious identity crisis. Its rare while in the country to hear someone say that they are American. People say that they are Irish, Scottish, German, Italian, African, English, West Indian, etc. Often people are a combination of these. For black Americans it becomes even more complicated. Many want to identify as African but others would never dream of such a thing ...
This led to a conference in 1910 at which DuBois helped establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N. A. A. C. P.) . Ironically, this association was controlled and financed by white people. However , DuBois was enthusiastic and believed this marked ” a new alliance between social workers and reformers ” ( Logan 132 ).
At this point DuBois believed that all people of the United States could coexist in racial harmony as expressed in his theory that ” if white men were prejudiced because of their ignorance and Black men were held back because of their ignorance , then education had to be the key to reconciling the races ” ( Hamilton 178 ).
DuBois position in the N.A.A.C.P. was director of publicity and research. From this position DuBois launched his next publication, Crisis , which was intended to be the official publication of the N.A.A.C.P. However , DuBois controlled its contents and made certain yhat it reflected his own views. His strong militant views did not go unoticed by the white members of the N.A.A.C.P. In 1934 after attempting to democratize the N.A.A.C.P.
, DuBois resigned from the crisis and the N.A.A.C.P. DuBois was involved in the Pan – Africanism movement from 1900 until about 1947. This movements purpose was to provide assistance to the colonies in Africa. DuBois believed that ” The new African state that must come into being would make mistakes , in part because they had not been given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in their own governance , such errors would be learned from , and were a necessary concomitant of the new powers of self – determination that must come to Africa “( Moore 56-57 ).
Although DuBois was a very prominent figure in the Pan – Africanism movement , once again differences of opinion with other leaders eventually weakened his involvement . DuBois fluctuated between numerous organizations and movements , but his philosophies and ethics were also changing throughout his life. Initially , DuBois was willing to work side by side with white people who he believed shared his vision.
The Essay on Civil Rights Blacks Black Movement 2
The challenges that the Civil Rights Movement faced during 1964-1970 were poverty and frustration at the slow pace of change. A split in the movement occurred in 1965. Different groups and individuals attempted to deal with these challenges in different ways. A split in the movement began with the Selma Voting Campaign. A protest march was planned but this was forbidden by the federal government. ...
However, in the early 1930s his racial tone began to shift . ” He believed his efforts to work together with white people were fruitless and that his initial idea that an educated person is less likely to be prejudiced was untrue ” ( Mckissack 97).
A persons philosophies can easily change through experience and the acquisition pf knowledge. DuBois failures opened his eyes to new ideas. ” He began to believe that the key to Black advancement was within the race itself ” ( 98 ).
DuBois compared and contrasted communism, capitalism, democracy, and socialism.
To decide which form of government was best, he cited the benefits each held for Black Americans. DuBois was a member of the socialist party in 1911 and 1912 but ” DuBois made no secret about the fact that he admired the Soviet Government for its commitment to racial harmony and equality ” ( 117 ).
DuBois even sent a letter to the chairman of the communist party applying for membership. He was definitely a man of constant change. Marcus Garvey , also a Black political leader , said: In his fifty – five years , DuBois personally , has made a success of nothing. In all his journalistic , personal , and other business efforts he has failed and if it were not for (his white associates) DuBois , no doubt , would be eating his pork chops from the counter of the cheapest restaurant in Harlem like many other Negro graduates of Harvard and Fisk.
( Marable 99 ) Garveys opinion of DuBois is based strictly on the outcomes of various situations. DuBois was not a good finisher. He was a great initiator. His purpose was to open the minds of others so that they may take action themselves , not necessarily under his guidance. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream but it was not his personal responsibility to bring it to fruition alone. Very few people accomplish everything they want to do in life, but to inspire others to continue your dreams after you are gone, is a true accomplishment and that is the legacy of W.E.B. DuBois.
Bibliography: Works Cited Ferris, William H, ” W.E.B. DuBois “.Contemporary Literary Criticism. ED Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Gale Research company, 1980. 180 – 182. Hamilton , Virginia .
The Essay on Dubois Hand Blacks Slave
FIVE FINGERS MAKE UP ONE HAND While reading DuBois, I was struck by the analogy of the hand used to describe race relations. With a simple concept that a child could understand, the entire race problem could be solved. Five fingers on a hand that are all different, yet by working together, they are able to perform many tasks. If you take just one away, it makes it harder for the rest to due all ...
W.E.B. DuBois : A Biography . New York : Harper Collins , 1972. Logan, Rayford W. W.E.B. DuBois A Profile. New York: Hill and Wang, 1971. Marable, Manning.
W.E.B. DuBois Black Radical Democrat. Boston: Twayne, 1986. Mckissack, Patricia & Frederick . W.E.B. DuBois.
New York : Franklin Wastts , 1990. Meir , David Levering . W.E.B. DuBois : Biography of a Race. New York: Henry Holt , 1993. Moore , Jack B. W.E.B.
DuBois . Boston : Twayne , 1981. Stafford, Mark . W.E.B DuBois Scholar and Activist . New York : Chelsea House , 1989..
