William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.)
Du Bois was a leader of the black community in America and fought for equal rights. Du Bois was known for his great roles as a civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, historian, as well as author and editor. In honor of Du Bois' work against discrimination and racism, and Black History Month, Cosimo would like to highlight some of Du Bois' greatest works.
The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America 1638-1870
Based on the Harvard thesis of DuBois-one of the great black intellectuals of American history-and incorporating analyses of national, state, and colonial statues, Congressional documents, personal narratives, and other foundational sources, this essential work of African-American history examines the prosecution of slavery laws in the early colonies in North America and explores the moral, political, and economical ramifications of the slave trade and its opposition. This study of the slave-trade laws remains a vital resource for students of early America.
The Souls of Black Folk
As an early work in the field of sociology, this book analyzes the interactions between the races and offers a solution for the strife and inequality that had come to characterize those interactions. DuBois believed that education was the route to a better life for all blacks, and his recommendation became the basis for the civil rights movement. Anyone interested in history, race relations, sociology, or the intellectual heritage of the United States will find this an essential read.
DARKWATER: Voices from Within the Veil
DuBois was the most influential black intellectual in American history, one whose voice and thoughts continue to enlighten and educate readers today, and this is a collection of his most inspired short-form writing. Collecting essays and poems from publications such as The Atlantic and The Journal of Race Development, this 1920 volume-provocative and aggressive and unflattering to the dominant white culture-raised the ire of many mainstream critics of the day, which continues to make it all the more valuable a read today.
The Negro
This is the classic history of the African peoples in Africa and the New World, a repudiation of the absurd belief, widely held in the post-Civil War period, that Africans had no civilization but the one foisted upon them by their slavetrading captors. Writing for a popular audience in 1915, DuBois lays out in easy-to-read, nonacademic prose the striking and illustrious story of the complex history and varied cultures of Africa, from the art and industry of the peoples of the continent to the dramatic impact the slave trade had both in Africa and on her descendents in the Western Hemisphere. Boldly proud and beautifully written, this essential work will delight readers of American and African history as well as students of great American literature.
About the Author
American writer, civil rights activist, and scholar
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963) was the first black man to receive a PhD from Harvard University. A cofounder of the NAACP, he was convinced that education was the means for African Americans to achieve equality.
See for other books by Du Bois our
collection of Black History books.
