On the Color Line: The Early Ideologies and Methodologies of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’ over 70 year long career has been critiqued and referenced in regards to the subject of American history, African American history, and more specifically, the struggle for civil rights and equality since the turn of the Twentieth Century. Du Bois’ early thoughts and theories on the plight of the African American community were pivotal in the eventual success of his campaign for African American suffrage and equality in all aspects of American society. The study of these original theories and methods, spanning for around 1897 to his resignation from the NAACP in 1934, provides a more intimate look at what serves as the foundational ideologies for the modern Civil Rights Movement and the individual who lived by them. Using only materials read by or written by Du Bois, himself, the research done and evidence found suggest a more progressive side of the intellectual. Addresses, publications, personal diary entries, and letters of correspondence all reveal the personal struggles and thoughts of the man and the unique strategies implemented to successfully solve what Du Bois describes as “the Negro problem” of the Twentieth Century American South. Du Bois’ vital emphasis on education, industry, and politics sets him apart from his equally steadfast counterparts questioning the most effective strategies in regards to public opinion, leadership, and civil rights.