Du Bois, W.E.B.
1868-1963 · Contribution: 1899-1963
Essays, history, sociology, and fiction; author of 'The Souls of Black Folk' (1903), 'Black Reconstruction in America' (1935), and 'The Philadelphia Negro' (1899); long-time editor of the NAACP magazine 'The Crisis'

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Impact on the world
'The Souls of Black Folk' is a seminal work of African American literature that introduced the concepts of 'double consciousness' and 'the color line'; first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard and a co-founder of the NAACP (1909).
Life & background
African-American writer, sociologist, historian, and Pan-Africanist born Feb 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, MA. Professor at Atlanta University; editor of 'The Crisis' (1910-1934). Spent his final years in Ghana, where he died Aug 27, 1963.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica; Yale (Avalon Project); UNC DocSouth
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