The period between the American Civil War and the enactment of the Thirteenth Amendment was marked by civil injustice and inequality for many Black and colored Americans. The right to vote, equal protection, and education were denied to a significant portion of the population, creating political and social divisions. W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the few Black Americans who attained higher education, emerged as a prominent activist for his community. Du Bois diagnosed an essential problem afflicting American society: the systematic oppression of education. In response, he prescribed the establishment of a right to public education and exposed the ignorance within the educational system. Before the 13th Amendment, education was not a necessity, but a …show more content…
Through his advocacy, he campaigned for the rights to vote, civic equality, and public education. Du Bois critiqued the post-slavery plight of disadvantaged Black Americans, aiming to prevent history from repeating itself and urging against complacency towards societal and political discrimination. He diagnosed American society with the infection of oppressing education for all. For Black Americans, education needs to be more than vocational training. It needed to enlighten both white and Black Americans about societal realities and history, promoting ideals, aspirations, and empathy, and fostering an understanding of each other's similarities and differences. This prescription is exemplified in Du Bois's "Of the Coming of John," where even if few Black Americans received an education, society would never change if not every American received one. Education uncovers a veil of ignorance that is visible to Black Americans and opaque to white Americans. Growing up as a minority brings about unique life experiences and educational challenges. Education begins to revolve around learning to assimilate due to racial