Documents by W.E.B. Du Bois
“The Afterthought,” from The Souls of Black Folk
Hear my cry, O God the Reader; vouchsafe that this my book fall not still-born…
“The Sorrow Songs,” from The Souls of Black Folk
THEY that walked in darkness sang songs in the olden days--Sorrow Songs--for they were weary…
“Of the Faith of the Fathers,” from The Souls of Black Folk
It WAS out in the country, far from home, far from my foster home, on…
“Of the Sons of Master and Man,” from The Souls of Black Folk
The world-old phenomenon of the contact of diverse races of men is to have new…
“The Black Man and the Unions”
I am among the few colored men who have tried conscientiously to bring about understanding…
The Philadelphia Negro
Color Prejudice-- Incidentally throughout this study the prejudice against the Negro has been again and…
President Harding and Social Equality
For fifty years we who, pro and con, have discussed the Negro Problem, have been…
The Conservation of Races
The American Negro has always felt an intense personal interest in discussions as to the…
An Open Letter to Warren Gamaliel Harding
Sir: By an unprecedented vote you have been called to the most powerful position in…
Another Open Letter to Woodrow Wilson
Sir: On the occasion of your inauguration as President of the United States, The Crisis…
Open Letter to Woodrow Wilson
Sir: Your inauguration to the Presidency of the United States is to the colored people,…
Of the Training of Black Men
From the shimmering swirl of waters where many, many thoughts ago the slave-ship first saw…
Of Booker T. Washington and Others
Easily the most striking thing in the history of the American Negro since 1876 is…
The Forethought
Herein lie buried many things which if read with patience may show the strange meaning…
Of Our Spiritual Strivings
Between me and the other world there is ever an unasked question: unasked by some…
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was a Southern poor white, of illegitimate birth, poorly educated and unusually ugly,…
Niagara Movement Speech
The men of the Niagara Movement coming from the toil of the year’s hard work…
The Evolution of Negro Leadership
In every generation of our national life, from Phillis Wheatley to Booker Washington, the Negro…