Question

what role did DuBois play in Reconstruction?

Answer 1

W.E.B Du Bois is known as the most influential activist during the first half of the 20th century. He was the first African to earn a PhD from Harvard. He was known to be a good spokesperson for African American rights.

Americans saw negro suffrage as the main cause of all evils. Slaves were treated mercilessly. 250,000 men had been killed, leaving thousands of others maimed. 1860-1880 was marked as the reconstruction era by Du Bois. He saw the movement bring positive changes. Slaves were replaced with the title workers. However, he saw poor white men and black freedmen did not unite against the oppressing owners. They had their own differences which were proved to be advantageous to the owners. He criticised the Crow Laws. He later published the 750- page essay about it in 1935. He used his data and work to inform the people about the injustice done to lower-class. He founded many charitable institutions and invested in public infrastructure.

He fought against American racism. He published his study on the African-American community by the name - The Philadelphia Negro: A social study. "The talented tenth" was a term coined by Du Bois which described the likeness of 1 out of 10 black men in becoming leaders.

In 1903, he published his another work: The souls of Black folks - a collection of 14 essays. In 1909, he co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People( N.A.A.C.P). He held a position of editor in its monthly magazine - The crisis. He supported Pan-Africanism.