THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK

The Souls of Black is a book written by W.E.B. Du Bois. The novel got published in 1903. In his book he gives the history of the African Americas during the twentieth century First, for the author to be able to inform the audience on the experience of life behind the veil, he narrates to the readers the situations and stories regarding the lessons of the African Americans in the past. In his first chapter of the text, the audience would be able to understand what he experienced behind the veil, and learn about his skin color made him face discrimination. He indicates in his next chapter that the issue that affected the African Americans during the twentieth century was racism. As a result, this theme forms the basis of most parts of his narration, where he further provides an analysis of the side-lining and stratification that existed due to the invisible color-line. Also, the author indicates that Booker T. Washington rise was the main achievement of African Americans during the twentieth century. The author adds that according to Washington African Americans needed to learn how to make material wealth. The following paragraph is an analysis of the book The Souls of Black on how the author presents the history of the African Americans. 

In the book Souls of Black, the author informs the audience about the events that transpired after the Civil War. The author indicates how the role of the Freedmen’s Bureau during the reconstruction impacted the African Americans. Du Bois shows the reasons for the failure of the Bureau was due to political neglect, southern opposition. And the mismanagement by the biased courts which always favored the African American plaintiffs. Apart from failure, the author informs the audience that the Bureau also had successes. For instance, the Bureau contributed to the development of African American schools. He adds that after the end of the reconstruction period, the significant event that has occurred in the lives of African Americans is the rise of Booker T. Washington from an educator to the spokesman role for the African Americans. However, the approach of Washington to the race relations seems not to be productive to ensure long-term growth among African Americans. According to his method, Washington focuses on material progress and accepts segregation. His idea seems to be an old approach of submission and adjustment. As indicated in the Souls of black folks, this policy led destroyed the status of the African Americans. For instance, it led to the loss of civil status, loss of the vote and they also lost aid for their higher learning institutions. Thus, it valid to suggest that the approach by Washington was not right since it denied the African Americans the fundamental rights such as the right to education, civic equality and right to vote, which are essential for growth in a community. 

Additionally, from the book, it is evident that in the past, materialism was the central aspect taught in the African American schools. Many schools taught the students about the importance and how they could gain material wealth. In the book, Souls of Black Folks, the author reflects about what he experienced as a teacher in the rural region known as Tennessee. As a result, he criticizes the American materialism that started rising to replace other considerations with the importance of gaining wealth in Atlanta. Du Bois then proposes that African American youths should not only learn about how to earn money. According to him, the schools include teaching the students about lofty ideals of life, standards of human culture and standards of lower training. The author proposes that the African American college needed to train talented individuals who would act as links for improving race relations and contribute to lower education. The book informs the audience that in the past African Americans were only taught about material wealth which was not appropriate since they also needed to learn other disciplines that would enable them to improve race relations and culture.

Also, the book informs the audience about the rural African American lives in the past. The author uses Dougherty County, Georgia to present his ideas on the lives of the African Americans in the southern Black-Belt. The author informs the audience on both the current conditions and history of the county. The book tells the audience that cannot have remained to be the primary source of income in the region. Additionally, only a few African Americans enjoy success in this economy, this shows that majority of the African Americans I the rural areas have been in the past low-income earners, and they still fall in the same category. Additionally, the African Americans who lived in rural areas experienced slavery even after 1877. For instance, Du Bois indicates that the tenant farming and legal systems have slightly removed slavery within the county. It shows that in the past, slavery existed in within the southern Black Belt. Similarly, in the past, slavery led to the development of religion in the rural regions occupied by African Americans. For example, Du Bois indicates that Methodist and Baptist churches developed due to slavery. 

Moreover, the book with the title The Soul of the Black Folks focuses on the impacts of racial prejudices on the African American individuals. In the past racism made the African Americans feel that it was not worth living in a society filled with color-line. For example, in the novel, when the son of the author dies, he mourns but again wonders claims that his son is in a safer environment dead than growing up in a community dominated by racism. Additionally, the author gives an example of a case of a one Alexander Crummel in the novel, who struggled with the prejudices so that he could become an Episcopal priest. The author ends his book with a story about the spirituals of the African Americans. The story comprises of the songs sung by the African Americans expressing exile, pain, and sorrow that the African Americans experienced in the past. 

Based on the above premises, it is valid to suggest that there is the persistence of racism. The above text comprises different forms of racism and racial prejudice towards the Negro community. Previously, during slavery, African Americans always got detained because of the color of their skins. However, racism did not end during the period; the text shows that the system of racism grew after the reconstruction and became a national concern within the system of bureaucracy. Even though the African Americans were out of captivity, they did not have freedom since they experienced various forms of injustices. Despite being free, they did not have the right to education, equality; they could not get employed which made them fail to gain wealth. Hence, it is valid to suggest that this persistence in racism led to more oppression as compared to what the Negros experienced during the slavery period. Based on this argument, it is evident that Du Bois wanted to show the audience that the presence of racism could not give the African Americans freedom despite freedom from slavery. 

Additionally, the text shows that there were two leaders among the African Americans that represented change. The above premises indicates that the two leaders suggested by Du Bois in his book were Alexander Crummell and Booker T. Washington. Both of the two leaders experienced the oppression of the veil, they attempted to fight against slavery and later became prominent persons in the society. The above text shows that Book T became the African Americans’ spokesperson and Alexander became a priest. Therefore, they acted as symbols of change that the Negros needed. They gave the African Americas hope to become successful. They provided them with ideas on how the Negros would become successful in their lives. For example, by teaching African Americans how to earn money. 

Furthermore, the above premises show that Du Bois hails Booker T for his achievement. However, he disagrees with his approach to race relation. According to the above text, Washington’s approach to the race relation is counterproductive. He only emphasizes materialism and segregation acceptance. However, Du Bois claim that Washington’s idea would lead to the loss of civil status, loss of the vote and they also lose aid for their higher learning institutions. He proposes that for the African Americans to be able to understand their rights, they require to gain political representation and sovereignty. Not only education would ensure their success; they will need to succeed through democratic freedoms. Thus, Washington needed to call for the privileges of the African Americans. 

In conclusion, the above premises give the story of Du Bois, who narrates what the African Americans experienced in the past. The text shows that one of the main problem that the Negros encountered after slavery was racism. The African Americans did not have freedoms such as the right to education, right to vote and equal job opportunities because of their skin color. The paper shows that in the schools the Negros learned about how to make money, which could not help them in progressing racial relations. The text indicates that racism could not give the African Americans freedom despite freedom from slavery. Thus, the Negros will only have freedom in the absence of racism. Additionally, during the past majority of the Africa Americans who lived in rural areas experienced poverty and slavery did not end in these regions. 

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Bibliography

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Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt, and Manning Marable. Souls of black folk. Routledge, 2015.

Gaines Jr, Stanley O., and Edward S. Reed. “Two social psychologies of prejudice: Gordon W. Allport, WEB Du Bois, and the legacy of Booker T. Washington.” Journal of Black Psychology, vol. 20, no. 1 (1994): 8-28.

Moses, Wilson J. “The poetics of Ethiopianism: WEB Du Bois and Black literary nationalism.” American Literature, vol. 47, no. 3 (1975): 411-426.

Rogers, Melvin L. “The People, Rhetoric, and Affect: On the Political Force of Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk.” American Political Science Review, vol. 106, no. 1 (2012): 188-

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