Book contents
- Understanding the American South
- Cambridge Studies on the American South
- Understanding the American South
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction
- Part I Understanding the American South and the Civil War in a New Century
- Part II Understanding the South and the American Identity
- Part III Understanding Slavery, Race, and Inequality in the American South
- 5 The Problem of Slavery Reconsidered
- 6 The Legacy of W. E. B. DuBois
- 7 An American Elegy
- 8 Transforming Southern History
- 9 The Fraying Fabric of Community
- Part IV Understanding History and Irony
- Bibliography
- Index
6 - The Legacy of W. E. B. DuBois
Slavery and Race in Southern and American History
from Part III - Understanding Slavery, Race, and Inequality in the American South
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2024
- Understanding the American South
- Cambridge Studies on the American South
- Understanding the American South
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction
- Part I Understanding the American South and the Civil War in a New Century
- Part II Understanding the South and the American Identity
- Part III Understanding Slavery, Race, and Inequality in the American South
- 5 The Problem of Slavery Reconsidered
- 6 The Legacy of W. E. B. DuBois
- 7 An American Elegy
- 8 Transforming Southern History
- 9 The Fraying Fabric of Community
- Part IV Understanding History and Irony
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter addresses the contributions of the Black scholar W. E. B. DuBois, one of the most important American intellectuals of the twentieth century. His influence on historical scholarship through The Souls of Black Folk (1903) and Black Reconstruction (1935) created a field in Black history. Souls of Black Folk introduced the idea of the “two-ness” of the Black experience in the United States, and lent the DuBois prestige he used as a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Black Reconstruction challenged the existing literature emphasizing the democratic achievements of Black politicians during Reconstruction. DuBois’ work inspired impressive later work on slave resistance, slave communities, slave religion, the slave family, and slave political awareness, as well as a reinterpretation of the Reconstruction era as one of expanding democracy. DuBois’ work stood as the basis for an anti-triumphalist interpretive thrust to American history, a thrust which persists down to the present day.
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- Information
- Understanding the American SouthSlavery, Race, Identity, and the American Century, pp. 139 - 168Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024