W.E.B. Du Bois
Historian, Author
1868 – 1963
Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?
William Edward Burghardt "W. E. B." Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author and editor. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community. After graduating from Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909.
Du Bois rose to national prominence as the leader of the Niagara Movement, a group of African-American activists who wanted equal rights for blacks. Du Bois and his supporters opposed the Atlanta Compromise, an agreement crafted by Booker T. Washington which provided that Southern blacks would work and submit to white political rule, while Southern whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic educational and economic opportunities. Instead, Du Bois insisted on full civil rights and increased political representation, which he believed would be brought about by the African-American intellectual elite. He referred to this group as the talented tenth and believed that African Americans needed the chances for advanced education to develop its leadership.
Famous Quotes:
- The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Feb 23, 1868
Great Barrington - Also known as
- W.E.B. DuBois
- W. E. B. Du Bois
- Parents
- Spouses
- Ethnicity
- African American
- Ghanaian American
- Nationality
- Ghana
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- Harvard University
- Fisk University
- Humboldt University of Berlin
- Harvard College
- Lived in
- Atlanta
- Died
- Aug 27, 1963
Accra
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"W.E.B. Du Bois." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/w_e_b_du_bois>.
Discuss this W.E.B. Du Bois biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In