Early life W. E. B. Du Bois

as child, du bois attended congregational church in great barrington, massachusetts. church members collected donations pay du bois s college tuition.

william edward burghardt du bois born on february 23, 1868 in great barrington, massachusetts, alfred , mary silvina (née burghardt) du bois. mary silvina burghardt s family part of small free black population of great barrington , had long owned land in state. descended dutch, african , english ancestors. william du bois s maternal great-great-grandfather tom burghardt, slave (born in west africa around 1730) held dutch colonist conraed burghardt. tom briefly served in continental army during american revolutionary war, may have been how gained freedom during 18th century. son jack burghardt father of othello burghardt, father of mary silvina burghardt.

william du bois s paternal great-grandfather james du bois of poughkeepsie, new york, ethnic french-american of huguenot origin fathered several children slave women. 1 of james mixed-race sons alexander, born on long cay in bahamas in 1803; in 1810 immigrated united states father. traveled , worked in haiti, fathered son, alfred, mistress. alexander returned connecticut, leaving alfred in haiti mother.

sometime before 1860, alfred du bois emigrated united states, settling in massachusetts. married mary silvina burghardt on february 5, 1867 in housatonic. alfred left mary in 1870, 2 years after son william born. mary burghardt du bois moved son parents house in great barrington until five. worked support family (receiving assistance brother , neighbors), until suffered stroke in 1880s. died in 1885.

great barrington had majority european american community, treated du bois well. attended local integrated public school , played white schoolmates. adult, wrote racism felt fatherless child , experience of being minority in town. teachers recognized ability , encouraged intellectual pursuits, , rewarding experience academic studies led him believe use knowledge empower african americans. du bois graduated town s searles high school. when du bois decided attend college, congregation of childhood church, first congregational church of great barrington, raised money tuition.

university education

the title page of du bois s harvard dissertation, suppression of african slave trade in united states of america: 1638–1871

relying on money donated neighbors, du bois attended fisk university, historically black college in nashville, tennessee, 1885 1888. travel , residency in south du bois s first experience southern racism, @ time encompassed jim crow laws, bigotry, suppression of black voting, , lynchings; lattermost reached peak in next decade. after receiving bachelor s degree fisk, attended harvard college (which did not accept course credits fisk) 1888 1890, influenced professor william james, prominent in american philosophy. du bois paid way through 3 years @ harvard money summer jobs, inheritance, scholarships, , loans friends. in 1890, harvard awarded du bois second bachelor s degree, cum laude, in history. in 1891, du bois received scholarship attend sociology graduate school @ harvard.

in 1892, du bois received fellowship john f. slater fund education of freedmen attend university of berlin graduate work. while student in berlin, traveled extensively throughout europe. came of age intellectually in german capital, while studying of nation s prominent social scientists, including gustav von schmoller, adolph wagner, , heinrich von treitschke. after returning europe, du bois completed graduate studies; in 1895 first african american earn ph.d. harvard university.

wilberforce , philadelphia


—du bois, strivings of negro people , 1897

in summer of 1894, du bois received several job offers, including 1 prestigious tuskegee institute; accepted teaching job @ wilberforce university in ohio. @ wilberforce, du bois influenced alexander crummell, believed ideas , morals necessary tools effect social change. while @ wilberforce, du bois married nina gomer, 1 of students, on may 12, 1896.

after 2 years @ wilberforce, du bois accepted one-year research job university of pennsylvania assistant in sociology in summer of 1896. performed sociological field research in philadelphia s african-american neighborhoods, formed foundation landmark study, philadelphia negro, published in 1899 while teaching @ atlanta university. first case study of black community in united states. 1890s, philadelphia s black neighborhoods had negative reputation in terms of crime, poverty, , mortality. du bois s book undermined stereotypes experimental evidence, , shaped approach segregation , negative impact on black lives , reputations. results led du bois realize racial integration key democratic equality in american cities.

while taking part in american negro academy (ana) in 1897, du bois presented paper in rejected frederick douglass s plea black americans integrate white society. wrote: negroes, members of vast historic race dawn of creation has slept, half awakening in dark forests of african fatherland . in august 1897 issue of atlantic monthly, du bois published strivings of negro people , first work aimed @ general public, in enlarged upon thesis african americans should embrace african heritage while contributing american society.