“Herein lie buried many things which if read with patience may show the strange meaning of being black here in the dawning of the Twentieth Century. This meaning is not without interest to you, Gentle Reader; for the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line.” – W.E.B. Du Bois
From 1890-1915, the most influential black man in America was Booker T. Washington, who had been born into slavery. He worked laboriously until emancipation before going on to seek an education. By the time he was 40, he had consolidated a network of supporters that came to be known as the “Tuskegee Machine,” helping coordinate action with the support of black businesses, religious communities, and others. With his position of power, Washington spoke out against Jim Crow laws and Southern disfranchisement of blacks.
By the early 20th century, Washington’s tactics were questioned by other black leaders, notably W. E. B. Du Bois, who wanted to protest more vehemently in an effort to secure civil rights. Du Bois attended Harvard, becoming the first black man to earn a doctorate there. He went on to be a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University, and he also co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
This edition of The Negro Problem is a compilation of essays, and is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and over a dozen pictures of Washington, Du Bois, and their work.
