 Educator  Essayist  Journalist  Scholar  Social critic  Activist

“The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line—the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea”. (Du Bois 1903/1989:13)

JULY 9, 1868  14th Amendment granted due process and equal protection under the law to African Americans. JUNE 12, 1963 Mississippi's NAACP field secretary, 37-year-old Medgar Evers, was murdered outside his home in Jackson, Miss. Byron De La Beckwith was tried twice in 1964, both trials resulting in hung juries. Thirty years later, he was convicted of murdering Evers.

The Philadelphia Negro (1899) The Souls of Black Folk (1903) The Souls of White Folk (1920)

Born: Great Barrington, MA By age 16, formulated basic premise of social & political philosophy: Black Americans must organize as race-conscious bloc to win & exercise freedom

 First black graduate in his high school  Community leaders (including high school principal & prominent pastors) paid for Du Bois to attend Fisk University Historically black school in Nashville, TN

 B.A. –Fisk University  M.A.—Harvard University  Study-abroad at Un. of Berlin  Ph.D.—Harvard University

 The Souls of Black Folk, published in 1903  Most famous book  One of most important books on race and class written in U. S.

 From 1940s until his death in Wrote eloquently and provocatively about the twin evils of colonialism and imperialism

 Criticized black community:  Black parents: F or not reinforcing the value of formal education  Black Church: F or not combating social corruption and moral decay

 The Talented Tenth  Burden for winning freedom and justice for African Americans on the shoulders of:  Best prepared, Educationally and Economically

 Motivation for creation of racial differences was economic:  Racial discrimination preceded prejudice  Prejudice created to justify treatment  Discrimination -> Prejudice

 Economic & political control of government by big business  Developed during 1870s in the US  Du Bois’ Question:  Who should benefit from capitalism?  Who should have the power?

 Good: Increased production & distribution of goods & services  Bad: Created opportunities for more selfishness & corruption

 A planned economy  Elected democratic government  People serve the state  State also serves the people

 Political domination of one country by another (Ex. Britain, France, Portugal, Germany) The use of weaker country's resources to strengthen and enrich stronger country Colonization by powerful country

 Created racism to justify colonialism & exploitation  Creating an inferior race justified the treatment to create profits

 Colonizing nations used the strategy of “divide and conquer”  Encouraged hatred between Groups:  Moslems & Hindus  Arabs & Jews  Protestants & Catholics

 Connected with colonialism  Political domination costly to colonial power (i.e., military)  Capitalists’ domination of imperial power & the colonies produced huge profits (Imperialist capitalism)

 War is central to imperialist capitalism  Profit from war  Profit from the preparation for war

 Basic element in social organization  Societies based on some group’s oppression of other groups

 3 main responses (by the oppressed) to oppression 1. Feelings of revolt & revenge 2. Attempts to adjust 3. Attempts at self-development

“Manure theory of social organization”  Lower classes : Only capable of most inhuman & inhumane work

“ Manure Theory ” foundation of a Theory of Exclusion “Progress” based on excluding more & more people from benefits of culture Result: Only a few remain at top

 Changeable  Not inherently good or bad  Most prejudices learned & can be changed  Change comes through reason & education

 Major Themes of Modern Social Life Race & Racism Gender & Sexism Democracy Equality