Academic work W. E. B. Du Bois

—du bois, address @ fourth niagara conference , 1908

du bois first african american invited american historical association (aha) present paper @ annual conference. read paper, reconstruction , benefits, astounded audience @ aha s december 1909 conference. paper went against mainstream historical view, promoted dunning school of scholars @ columbia university, reconstruction disaster, caused ineptitude , sloth of blacks. contrary, du bois asserted brief period of african-american leadership in south accomplished 3 important goals: democracy, free public schools, , new social welfare legislation. asserted federal government s failure manage freedmen s bureau, distribute land, , establish educational system, doomed african-american prospects in south. when du bois submitted paper publication few months later in american historical review, asked word negro capitalized. editor, j. franklin jameson, refused, , published paper without capitalization. paper ignored white historians. du bois later developed paper ground-breaking 1935 book, black reconstruction, marshaled extensive facts support assertions. aha did not invite african-american speaker until 1940.