Course:SOCI 1110:WEB DuBois

W.E.B. DuBois（1868-1963): A Quick Overview

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963), an American author, editor, sociologist.

Early Life

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, an American author, editor, sociologist, was born into an impoverished family in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. His parents separated when he was a child, and he stayed with his mother until 1884. Although he suffered a lot, eventually he turned out to be a marvelous student. With a partial scholarship, he was enrolled into the University of Fisk when he was only 15. During that time, he witnessed race discrimination, which had an influence on him and made him determine to become a sociologist and civil rights activist. Later, he went to Harvard University and graduated with a Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Philosophy.

University Life

After his graduation, he became a professor at Atlanta University. W.E.B Dubois had devoted all his life to studying the history and society of the United States and Africa. He wrote many books on Racism and independence of Africa. In 1899, he finished his first academic book The Philadelphia Negro, which was concerned with the first case study of a black community in the United States. There were other famous works, such as, The Souls of the Black Folk which was concerned about his anger, rage, and sadness of what black people suffered. The books he wrote could serve as valid materials and sophisticated illustrations of intellectual Black people making contributions to the American history and human civilization.