TEXT A Web Du Bois was born a
free man in his small village of Great Barington, Massachusetts, three years
after the Civil War. For generations, the Du Bois family had been an accepted
part of the community since before his great-grandfather had fought in the
American Revolution. Early on, Du Bois was given an awareness of
his African-heritage, through the ancient songs his grandmother taught him. This
awareness set him apart from his New England community, with an ancestry
shrouded in mystery, in sharp contrast to the precisely accounted history of the
Western world. This difference would be the foundation for his desire to change
the way African-Americans co-existed in America. As a student,
Du Bois was considered something of a prodigy who excelled beyond the
capabilities of his white peers. He found work as a correspondent for New York
newspapers, and slowly began to realize the inhibitions of social boundaries he
was expected to observe every step of the way. When racism tried to take his
pride and dignity, he became more determined to make sure society recognized his
achievements. Clearly, Du Bois showed great promise, and
although he dreamt of attending Harvard, some influential members of his
community arranged for his education at Fisk University in Nashville. His
experiences at Fisk changed his life; and he discovered his fate as a leader of
the black struggle to free his people from oppression. At Fisk, Du Bois became
acquainted with many sons and daughters of former slaves, who felt the pain of
oppression and shared his sense of cultural and spiritual tradition. In the
South, he saw his people being driven to a status of little difference from
slavery, and saw them terrorized at the polls. He taught school during the
summers in the eastern portion of Tennessee, and saw the suffering firsthand. He
then resolved to dedicate his life to fighting the terrible racial oppression
that held the black people down, both economically and politically.
Du Bois’s determination was rewarded with a scholarship to Harvard, where
he began the first scientific sociological studies in the United States. He felt
that through science, he could dispel the irrational prejudices and ignorance
that prevented racial equality. He went on to create great advancements in the
study of race relations, but oppression continued with segregation laws,
lynching, and terror tactics on the rise. Du Bois then formed the Niagara
Movement, and in 1909, was a vital part in establishing the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People. He was also the editor of the NAACP
magazine The Crisis from 1910 to 1934. In this stage of his life, he encouraged
direct assaults on the legal, political, and economic system, which he felt
blossomed out of the exploitation of the poor and powerless black
community. He became the most important black protest leader of
the first half of the 20th century. His views clashed with Booker T. Washington,
who felt that the black people of America had to simply accept discrimination,
and hope to eventually earn respect and equality through hard work and success.
Du Bois wrote The Souls of Black Folk in 1903, criticizing Booker, claiming that
his ideas would lead to a perpetuation of oppression instead of freeing the
black people from it. Du Bois’s criticism lead to a branching out of the black
civil rights movement, Booker’s conservative followers, and a radical following
of his critics. Du Bois had established the Black Nationalism
that was the inspiration for all black empowerment throughout the civil rights
movement, but had begun during the progressive era. Although the movement that
germinated from his ideas may have taken on a more violent form, Web Du Bois
felt strongly that every human being could shape their own destinies with
determination and hard work. Fie inspired hope by declaring that progress would
come with the success of the small struggles for a better life. Du Bois differs from Booker politically in that he ______.
A.believed hard work and success were the only way to win respect B.rejected the idea of tentative tolerance of racial discrimination C.encouraged organized violence as part of the struggle for equality D.took it as his ultimate goal to build an independent nation of blacks