. E. B. Dubois, Of The Dawn Of Freedom: A Synopsis And Critical Discussion

854 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History of african americans in america

W. E. B. Dubois, Of the Dawn of Freedom: A synopsis and critical discussion

William Edward Burghardt Dubois' work, The Souls of Black Folk, gave a critical discuss of the early, twentieth century through the eyes of the Negro. Although many have limited this work to Dubois' argument of, The Talented Tenth, it should be noted that Dubois' work encompasses much more than that. The purpose of the essay is to summarize and give a critical eye to W. E. B. Dubois' Of the Dawn of Freedom.

In the first line of this work Dubois, states the now famous and words that would be reiterated by most Black intellectuals and social scientist of the twentieth and now early twenty-first century, "THE PROBLEM of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line". From here Dubois funnels into his thesis, declaring that, the aim of the "essay to study the period of history from 1861 to 1872 so far as it relates to the American Negro."[1]

From here Dubois, gives a synopsis of the civil war, partially through the eyes of the Negro, and the politics behind it. He briefly discusses, weather or not slavery was the true reason for the Civil War. After this discussion Dubois led

into the official, Dawn of Freedom, which was when slaves were officially freed.

Dubois, then leads into the affects of the Freedmen's Bureau and helped Blacks, in the beginning of this new era of their lives. He discuss how the Freedmen's Bureau and "Freedmen's Aid societies, born of the touching appeals from Pierce and from these other centers of distress. There was the American Missionary Association, sprung from the Amistad, and now full-grown for work; the various church organizations, the National Freedmen's Relief Association, the American Freedmen's Union, the Western Freedmen's Aid Commission,—in all fifty or more active organizations, which sent clothes, money, school-books, and teachers southward."[2]

Dubois then discusses the facts of the Freedman's Bureau closing. One of the major factors he points is the closing, was:

"Senator Davis, of Kentucky, when he moved to entitle the act of 1866 a bill, to promote strife and conflict between the white and black races... by a grant of unconstitutional power. The argument gathered tremendous strength South and North; but its very strength was its weakness.

Show More
Related

  • Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBoise

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Between the Compromise of 1877 and the Compromise of 1895, the problem facing Negro leadership was clear: how to obtain first-class citizenship for the Negro American. How to reach this goal caused considerable debate among Negro leaders. Some advocated physical violence to force concessions from the whites. A few urged Negroes to return to Africa. The majority, however, suggested that Negroes use peaceful, democratic means...

    Read More

  • W.E.B. DuBois: Hall of Fame

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    W.E.B. DuBois was an educator, writer, scholar, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, and later in his life a communist, whose life goal was to gain equal rights for all African Americans around the world. DuBois’ writings were mostly forgotten till the late 1960s, because of his involvement in communism and his absence during the civil rights movement in America. Even though his writings were temporarily forgotten because of his tarnished reputation, his legacy has since been restored allowing for his writings to be reprinted becoming a major influence for both academics and activists. DuBois’ accomplishments include his part in the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and his support for the civil rights movement advocating for equal social and economic rights for all African Americans. His accomplishments and efforts in order to gain equal treatment for African Americans outweigh his shortcomings and failures.

    Read More

  • The Demystification of the Freedmen's Bureau

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though flexibility in the Freedmen’s Bureau allowed the Bureau to attempt to solve many different problems, Dubois found fault with all sections of the Freedmen’s save the education sector. Dubois labeled the Bureau, “ one of the most singular and interesting of the attempts ...

    Read More

  • Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Dubois

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    When it all comes down to it, one of the greatest intellectual battles U.S. history was the legendary disagreement between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. This intellectual debate sparked the interest of the Northerners as well as the racist whites that occupied the south. This debate was simply about how the blacks, who just gained freedom from slavery, should exist in America with the white majority. Even though Washington and DuBois stood on opposite sides of the fence they both agreed on one thing, that it was a time for a change in the treatment of African Americans. I chose his topic to write about because I strongly agree with both of the men’s ideas but there is some things about their views that I don’t agree with. Their ideas and views are the things that will be addressed in this essay.

    Read More

  • WEB DuBois's Influence on Literature and People

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    While DuBois respected Booker T. Washington and his accomplishments, he did not. felt that blacks needed political power to protect what they had and what they earned. DuBois called for a new plan of action. He felt that the The greatest enemy of blacks was not necessarily whites but it was the ignorance of the whites concerning the capabilities of the black race. DuBois's answer was to encourage the development of black youth in America.

    Read More

  • Dubois's Essay 'A Mild Suggestion'?

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    This statement suggests that the quality of life for colored people in this time period is worse than being dead. It is implied by Dubois in this essay that not only would the white people be happier if the black people were all killed, but also that the black people would be happier due to them not having to face the hatred and segregation that they were subject to at the time. Dubois makes a sound argument that the white people in this time period have a problem with a black man making the same amount of money as them and getting the same education as them. They do not believe the black man is their equal. He uses the colored man in the essay to bring to light an extreme solution to the apparent problem, which in turn makes the white people, and the reader, open their eyes to the glaring issues inherent in racist behaviour and

    Read More

  • The Soul of Black Folks by W.E.B. Du Bois

    1897 Words  | 4 Pages

    He demonstrates that African Americans are like other humans and under the justice system they must have the equal rights and liberty that America guarantees to all men in its Constitution. Du Bois uses a metaphor of a veil, which translates into a barrier that separates the identity of blacks and whites.... ... middle of paper ... ... He prophesizes the difficulties that have occurred to the Blacks in the twentieth century.

    Read More

  • The NAACP: The Success Of The African-American Civil Rights Movement

    1732 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Niagara Movement was a radical protest organization; its members were highly educated African-Americans; ‘The Talented Tenth’.This short-lived movement launched a campaign for equality for African-Americans, with an emphasis on political rights. However the movement was unsuccessful due to lack of financial support, causing its dissolution. The NAACP was a coalition of African-American and White educated radicals who sought to remove legal barriers for full citizenship of African-Americans. The NAACP was successful due to its triumph of many segregation and discrimination cases. DuBois was one of the founding members of the organization; he became known for editing it’s publication ‘The Crisis’; in which he denounced White racism and demanded that African-Americans stand up for their rights. DuBois’ publications were socially successful because they increased Black pride and confidence. These two organizations were able to conduct productive political efforts because their members were well educated, thus showing that DuBois’ ‘Gradualist Political Strategy’ was rational. DuBois’ strategy was politically efficient in the sense that it exercised the importance of political equality on the

    Read More

  • A Raisin in the Sun: The Duality of African-America, George Murchison and Joseph Asagai

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dubois, WEB. Comp. Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 694-695. Print.

    Read More

  • The Questionable Morals and Values of the United States

    2467 Words  | 5 Pages

    Print
Moore, Jacqueline M. Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, and the struggle for racial uplift.

    Read More

  • W. E. B Dubois And The Gilded Age Analysis

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    To understand the viewpoint of W.E.B Dubois and his argument for having a well-educated African American population, his own background and life experience of the struggle to be African and American must be considered. DuBois is born in the north in Massachusetts where the so-called Negro problem paralyzing the

    Read More

  • W.E.B. DuBois and the Fight for African-American Equality

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    African-Americans in the 1920’s lived in a period of tension. No longer slaves, they were still not looked upon as equals by whites. However, movements such as the Harlem renaissance, as well as several African-American leaders who rose to power during this period, sought to bring the race to new heights. One of these leaders was W.E.B. DuBois, who believed that education was the solution to the race problem. The beliefs of W.E.B. DuBois, as influenced by his background, had a profound effect on his life work, including the organizations he was involved with and the type of people he attracted. His background strongly influenced the way he attacked the "Negro Problem." His influence continues to affect many people.

    Read More

  • W. E. B. Dubois's Views Of African American After The Civil War

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the Civil War, African Americans encountered great discrimination and suffering. During this era, two influential leaders emerged from different philosophical camps. Brooker T. Washignton of Virginia and William Edward Burghardt Dubois of Massachusetts proposed, different means to improve African Americans’ conditions. These men had a common goal to enrich the black community. However, the methods they advocated to reach these goals significantly differed.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Washington And W. E. B. Dubois

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the late 19th and early 20th century, racial injustice was very prominent and even wildly accepted in the South. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were two of the most renowned “pioneers in the [search] for African-American equality in America” (Washington, DuBois, and the Black Future). Washington was “born a slave” who highly believed in the concept of “separate but equal,” meaning that “we can be as [distant] as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress” (Washington 1042). DuBois was a victim of many “racial problems before his years as a student” and disagreed with Washington’s point of view, which led

    Read More

  • Black Poetry

    2173 Words  | 5 Pages

    Over the course of the century chronicling the helm of slavery, the emancipation, and the push for civil, equal, and human rights, black literary scholars have pressed to have their voice heard in the midst a country that would dare classify a black as a second class citizen. Often, literary modes of communication were employed to accomplish just that. Black scholars used the often little education they received to produce a body of works that would seek to beckon the cause of freedom and help blacks tarry through the cruelties, inadequacies, and inconveniences of their oppressed condition. To capture the black experience in America was one of the sole aims of black literature. However, we as scholars of these bodies of works today are often unsure as to whether or not we can indeed coin the phrase “Black Literature” or, in this case, “Black poetry”. Is there such a thing? If so, how do we define the term, and what body of writing can we use to determine the validity of the definition. Such is the aim of this essay because we can indeed call a poem “Black”. We can define “Black poetry” as a body of writing written by an African-American in the United States that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of an experience or set of experiences inextricably linked to black people, characterizes a furious call or pursuit of freedom, and attempts to capture the black condition in a language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm. An examination of several works of poetry by various Black scholars should suffice to prove that the definition does hold and that “Black Poetry” is a term that we can use.

    Read More

More about . E. B. Dubois, Of The Dawn Of Freedom: A Synopsis And Critical Discussion

Open Document