The union has just won the civil war. Lincoln emancipated the slaves and the south has begun to rebuild. But what is the north to do with all the newly freed slaves. In W. E. B. Du Bois The Souls of Black Folk he pieces together multiple essays describing the milestone achievements that African Americans surpassed to gain greater civil rights and social standings in society. Many of which I had pass overlooked in my studies. In this essay I will be elaborating upon Du Bois’s influences on the movement and his opinions of the situations that faced him and the black.
“... I was different from the others... shut out from their world by a vast veil.” Du Bois recalls , “I lived above it.” (Du Bois 10) William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born …show more content…
As a historian he was alive during the time of the black civil rights and southern reconstruction. This gave Du Bois the opportunity to enact his desires as a young man but also can reflect back on his work through documents like The Souls of Black Folk. He can look over the situation while not being influenced by what he was feeling in the past. Elevating his content above a source historian, but at the same time remember Du Bois still observed the cruelty that blacks in the south had to endure during the 1880s and 90s. In one of his more descriptive sections of writing he tell the reader problems you may not have even thought about like in this example with newly freed slaves. “No sooner than the north invading Virginia and Tennessee the blacks came flooding in,” Du Bois Writes. Escaping slaves would flock to the union camps by following the twinkling of their distant fires. With a rapid mass exodus of blacks coming north what would the north do with all these people. The union front lines had to different ideas of what to do. One idea was proclaimed by Fremont of Missouri with the thought of protecting the blacks under Martial Law or the other was to force them to work for the army. As Ben Butler of Virginia says the blacks were, “Property contraband of war.” Du Bois later goes on to write that it was hard for the union army to enforce these rules because the slaves would just say they were free men or that there master …show more content…
The 2 front runners were our author Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Washington was widely adored by his supporters and better know then Du Bois. Washington proposed his demands to the cotton states at the famous, “Atlanta Compromise” in 1895. He made it be know to the south that blacks would endure social segregation in turn for economic progress, educational opportunity and justice in the courts.(biography.com) This enraged Du Bois and many african americans in the north. How could Du Bois just let Washington throw away all they had worked for. Du Bois and Washington had in the beginning both agreed on the importance of higher education to the black youth. But as time went on they realized that their hopes for the future of their race were vastly different. This in turn split them to go their separate ways. Furthermore creating a sort of rivalry between the two of them. An example of this is when ever Du Bois refers to Washington 's words as “Propaganda.” many times in The Souls of Black Folk. Du Bois had a much grander and arguably fictional idea for utopianistic America. The idea was that of Black and White people coexisting together. They would all share the same rights and Du Bois was not eager to make any compromises to undermine the clear cut necessities of justice that were entitled to the black people of this
“... I was different from the others... shut out from their world by a vast veil.” Du Bois recalls , “I lived above it.” (Du Bois 10) William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born …show more content…
As a historian he was alive during the time of the black civil rights and southern reconstruction. This gave Du Bois the opportunity to enact his desires as a young man but also can reflect back on his work through documents like The Souls of Black Folk. He can look over the situation while not being influenced by what he was feeling in the past. Elevating his content above a source historian, but at the same time remember Du Bois still observed the cruelty that blacks in the south had to endure during the 1880s and 90s. In one of his more descriptive sections of writing he tell the reader problems you may not have even thought about like in this example with newly freed slaves. “No sooner than the north invading Virginia and Tennessee the blacks came flooding in,” Du Bois Writes. Escaping slaves would flock to the union camps by following the twinkling of their distant fires. With a rapid mass exodus of blacks coming north what would the north do with all these people. The union front lines had to different ideas of what to do. One idea was proclaimed by Fremont of Missouri with the thought of protecting the blacks under Martial Law or the other was to force them to work for the army. As Ben Butler of Virginia says the blacks were, “Property contraband of war.” Du Bois later goes on to write that it was hard for the union army to enforce these rules because the slaves would just say they were free men or that there master …show more content…
The 2 front runners were our author Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Washington was widely adored by his supporters and better know then Du Bois. Washington proposed his demands to the cotton states at the famous, “Atlanta Compromise” in 1895. He made it be know to the south that blacks would endure social segregation in turn for economic progress, educational opportunity and justice in the courts.(biography.com) This enraged Du Bois and many african americans in the north. How could Du Bois just let Washington throw away all they had worked for. Du Bois and Washington had in the beginning both agreed on the importance of higher education to the black youth. But as time went on they realized that their hopes for the future of their race were vastly different. This in turn split them to go their separate ways. Furthermore creating a sort of rivalry between the two of them. An example of this is when ever Du Bois refers to Washington 's words as “Propaganda.” many times in The Souls of Black Folk. Du Bois had a much grander and arguably fictional idea for utopianistic America. The idea was that of Black and White people coexisting together. They would all share the same rights and Du Bois was not eager to make any compromises to undermine the clear cut necessities of justice that were entitled to the black people of this