Impact Of W. E. B. Dubois

Investigation

The nation is constantly developing and growing by way of public action. During the 1900’s, the United States experienced years of racial inequality and injustice which was met with a civil rights movement. During this time, influential leaders and organizations were imperative to achieve equality in the United States. It is due to leading figure William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, also known as W.E.B. Du Bois, that the United States experienced much of the civil rights and cultural advancement that occured. W.E.B. Du Bois significantly contributed to the civil rights and cultural advancement of African Americans in the 1900s through his work with the Niagara Movement, the NAACP, and his influential literary works.

To begin, W.E.B.

Du Bois not only helped found the NAACP, but also became the founder and editor of it’s main magazine named The Crisis. This magazine had a peak circulation of 95,000. W.E.B. Du Bois vocalized his intent of this magazine in his first issue. It would be to “record important happenings and movements in the world which bear on the great problem of inter-racial relations, and especially those which affect Negro-Americans.” This purpose paired W.E.B. Du Bois influenced cultural advancement through his themes and publicizing other African American intellectuals, writers, and artists in this magazine. The work of these individuals were meant to provide an authentic depiction of African American life and disprove stereotypes. In order to push for civil rights advancement and vocalize widespread discontent, W.E.B. Du Bois published political cartoons that denounced the Jim Crow laws and racial violence. For example, on a page of the March 1918 print magazine, Lorenzo Harris depicted two individuals that personified discrimination in a political cartoon. They were holding up the Constitution and laughing at the 14th and 15th Amendments. This political cartoon shames the Jim Crow laws that were prevalent in the South. This illustration reveals Web Du Bois’s intention of bringing African Americans together and fuels a fight for civil rights. W.E.B. Du Bois played a pivotal role in civil rights advancement through The Crisis and in cultural advancement by provoking

Du Bois had a significant impact on the 1900s through his other influential magazine, The Brownies’ Book. This magazine was the first to take African American children seriously and explain the truth about racial prejudices. It’s goal was to cultivate racial pride and teach the young children to fight for equal rights. This work influenced many children from this time. For example, Horace Mann Bond spoke of the influence W.E.B. Du Bois had on him. He stated “Through The Crisis Du Bois helped shape my inner world... I remember the pleasant faces of brown and black children pictured in the magazine . . . [Du Bois revealed] The real truth about a brutal social order, however frightening; the beauty and dignity of black people; these learnings were almost impossible to come by.” This shows just how important his work was and how it resonated with the people. Also, W.E.B. Du Bois gave others the opportunity to be published in The Brownies’ Book magazine. The Brownies’ Book had a formative effect on many individuals including Langston Hughes, Willis Richardson, Laura Wheeler, and Hilda Wilkinson, who say their first publications in this magazine and a jump in their careers. This shows a large amount of individuals who were particularly impacted by their platform on The Brownies’ Book. Each of these individuals impacted a large amount of the public by sharing their perspectives as well. Thus, influencing the public and contributing to civil rights