William Edward Burghardt Du Bois: Du Bois's Early Years

Celebrating Black History Month: Wiliam Edward Burghardt Washington

Reading Comprehension: Du Bois's Early Years (Upper Intermediate)

On February 23, 1868, W. E. B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Soon after, Du Bois's father left his wife and son. So his mother, Mary, had to rear her son alone.

Mary was poor. She was also an invalid. But she did not let the family's poverty or her ill health interfere with her son's education. She insisted that William attend elementary school through high school in Great Barrington's integrated school system.

Du Bois was the first African-American to graduate from his local high school. He was also the valedictorian of his class.

Shortly after graduation, Du Bois's mother died. Du Bois knew he would have to pay his own way through college. Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, offered him a scholarship. He accepted.

Nashville, Tennessee, proved quite different from Du Bois's home in Massachusetts. While Great Barrington, Massachusetts, had been an integrated community, Nashville was segregated. Among other things, blacks and whites had to attend separate schools. Du Bois was upset because the schools for black children were inferior to those for white children.

After graduating from Fisk, Du Bois was accepted into Harvard. In only two years, he earned a second bachelor's degree. Then, he began work on a doctorate in sociology at Harvard.

Du Bois remembered the struggles African-American people faced in the South. He wondered whether discrimination was as much of a problem in other countries. So he spent three semesters touring Europe. He also studied at the University of Berlin. As his studies came to an end, he decided that discrimination was greater in the United States than in other countries.

After leaving Harvard, Du Bois became a professor at Wilberforce University in Ohio. There he taught English, German, Greek, and Latin. Next, he taught foreign languages at the University of Philadelphia. He also wrote The Philadelphia Negro. Because of this work, Du Bois was recruited by Atlanta University to teach history and economics. In Atlanta, Du Bois continued to research, write, and publish works about black life in America.

In 1900, Du Bois became involved in international politics. He took part in the Pan-African conferences. The Pan-African conferences addressed the colonization of various African countries. Du Bois said that colonization should end. He said the African nations should be allowed to establish governments and rule themselves. Because of the Pan-African conferences, Du Bois wrote, "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." He believed European colonization of African nations was as great a problem as segregation within the U.S.

In 1868 Du Bois was born in obscurity and poverty. In only thirty-two years, he was internationally known. W. E. B. Du Bois was establishing himself as one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century.

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colonization conclude discrimination graduate (verb) inferior integrated invalid	obscurity poverty recruited scholarship segregated sociology valedictorian

Comprehension Questions

Where was Du Bois born?
Did Du Bois attend an African-American elementary school? Read a sentence from the text that supports your answer.
Why did Du Bois have to pay his own way through college?
How did he manage to pay for his education?
What kinds of subjects did Du Bois master? Read a sentence from the text that supports your answer.
When did the Pan-African conferences begin?
Did the Pan-African conferences focus on the problems African-Americans were encountering in the United States? If not, what issue did they address?
How many years did it take Du Bois to gain international recognition?

For Discussion . . .

Describe Du Bois's home life. What obstacles did his family face? How did the family respond to these obstacles? How do you think these obstacles might have made Du Bois stronger? What obstacles have you faced in life? How have these difficult circumstances made you a better person?
How did Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and Nashville, Tennessee, differ? How do you believe moving to Nashville affected Du Bois? Explain your answer.
What was the purpose of the Pan-African conferences? Why did Du Bois object to colonization? What disadvantages do you see to colonization? Do you see any advantages to colonization? If so, what are they?
Based on what you have read of Du Bois's life, list three adjectives that you think might describe him accurately. Explain your word choices.

For Further Research . . .
Investigate segregation

How did the United States develop a policy of segregation?
Was segregation a problem throughout the United States or only in certain areas?
How did segregation affect the lives of African-Americans?
How did African-Americans react to policies of segregation?
What court cases brought an end to segregation in the United States?

Investigate colonization

What role has colonization played in world history?
What countries have been most active in colonization?
When did colonization begin to end?
What independent states in existence today have at one time been colonies?
How did each of these gain its freedom?
What colonies exist today?

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