About
W. E. B. Du Bois, born William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University (1895). He published pioneering studies on Black communities, such as The Philadelphia Negro (1899), and his essay The Souls of Black Folk (1903) introduced the concept of 'double consciousness.' A co-founder of the Niagara Movement (1905) and the NAACP (1909), he edited the magazine The Crisis from 1910 to 1934. His historical work Black Reconstruction in America (1935) revisited the Reconstruction era. An organizer of Pan-African congresses, he moved to Ghana in 1961 and became a citizen.
* 1868-02-23 — † 1963-08-27
Major works
- The Philadelphia Negro (1899)sociological study
- The Souls of Black Folk (1903)essay
- Black Reconstruction in America (1935)history
Key milestones
- 1895First African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
- 1909Co-founded the NAACP and directed its publication The Crisis.
- 1961Renounced U.S. citizenship and moved to Ghana.
Themes
Double consciousnessRacial equalityPan-AfricanismSocial justiceHistoriography of Reconstruction
Sources: loc.gov · naacp.org