The Souls of Black Folk (an African American Heritage Book)

"The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." With that declaration, W. E. B. Du Bois opened one of the most influential works of African American literature and social thought. In The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois examines the history, culture, aspirations, and suffering of Black Americans in the decades following emancipation. Blending sociology, history, political argument, autobiography, music, and lyrical meditation, he exposes the persistence of racism and the failure of Reconstruction while celebrating the resilience and intellectual life of Black communities. Du Bois introduces his enduring concept of "double consciousness"-the divided awareness created by seeing oneself both through one's own identity and through the prejudiced judgment of a hostile society. He explores education, labor, voting rights, religion, poverty, segregation, and the spiritual legacy expressed in African American sorrow songs. The book also contains Du Bois's famous critique of Booker T. Washington's accommodationist approach to racial advancement. Du Bois instead argues for higher education, political participation, civil rights, and uncompromising resistance to inequality. First published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk is a collection of fourteen essays and remains a cornerstone of African American literature, sociology, and political thought.