Other editions of book The Negro

This is the classic history of the African peoples in Africa and the New World, a repudiation of the absurd belief, widely held in the post-Civil War period, that Africans had no civilization but the one foisted upon them by their slave-trading captors. Writing for a popular audience in 1915, DuBois, one of America's greatest writers, lays out in easy-to-read, nonacademic prose the striking and illustrious story of the complex history and varied cultures of Africa. He explores everything from the art and industry of the peoples of the continent to the dramatic impact the slave trade had both in Africa and on her descendants in the Western Hemisphere. Boldly proud and beautifully written, this essential work will delight readers of American and African history as well as students of great American literature. American writer, civil rights activist, and scholar WILLIAM EDWARD BURGHARDT DU BOIS (1868-1963) was the first black man to receive a PhD from Harvard University. A co-founder of the NAACP, he wrote a number of important books, including Black Folk, Then and Now (1899) and The Negro (1915).

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Beginning work on The Negro in 1912, W.E.B. Du Bois labored against an intesten backdrop of colonialism and racism. Europe had carved up the African continent, exploiting Africa and its people. Appearing in 1915, Du Bois' account attacked the foundation of this explotiation--the racist doctrine that claimed Africans have no history, have made no contributions to history, and deserve no history. Du Bois' work was nothing less tha pioneering and with this slim volume he inspired generations to see African history from a different perspective--an African Perspective.

The time has not yet come for a complete history of the Negro peoples. Archfological research in Africa has just begun, and many sources of information in Arabian, Portuguese, and other tongues are not fully at our command; and, too, it must frankly be confessed, racial prejudice against darker peoples is still too strong in so-called civilized centers for judicial appraisement of the peoples of Africa. Much intensive monographic work in history and science is needed to clear mooted points and quiet the controversialist who mistakes present personal desire for scientific proof. Nevertheless, I have not been able to withstand the temptation to essay such short general statement of the main known facts and their fair interpretation as shall enable the general reader to know as men a sixth or more of the human race. Manifestly so short a story must be mainly conclusions and generalizations with but meager indication of authorities and underlying arguments. Possibly, if the Public will, a later and larger book may be more satisfactory on these points." -- W.E.B. Du Bois

THE NEGRO, by W.E.B. Du Bois, first published in 1915, was a remarkable addition to the literature of the struggle for civil rights in the United States. It is a history of black peoples until its day and a clarion call to justice for darker-skinned peoples of all continents. W.E.B. Du Bois, scholar, journalist, author, and cofounder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was the leading figure in the struggle for the rights of disenfranchised American citizens until the emergence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This Secondary Student Edition of THE NEGRO, by W.E.B. Du Bois, contains the unabridged manuscript of the original edition, with the exception of the outdated “Suggestions for Further Reading.” In order to make it more accessible to high school level and other students, almost four hundred footnotes, and numerous illustrations have been added to facilitate learning. No study or examination questions are included so that Du Bois’ powerful narrative and the readers’ experience will raise the questions. It is a valuable addition to the classes in American Literature, U.S. History, World History, or Ethnic Studies.

This work, by one of the champions of the early civil rights movement in the U.S., pulls together the various elements of African history and highlights the distinctive and complex cultures existing in Africa before the slave trade, citing evidence of architectural development, iron working, writing, and numerous other cultural advances. "Important by any standard."—Kirkus "The book ought to be generally read, for it contains more than mere information. It gathers and sets forth authentic data which form the kind of historic background essential to race consciousness."—James Weldon Johnson "The whole is written with an intellectual force, a breadth of learning, and a judicial poise that compel respect."—New York Times

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was a black civil rights activist, leader, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, educator, historian, writer, editor, poet, and scholar. He became a naturalized citizen of Ghana in 1963 at the age of 95. "The time has not yet come for a complete history of the Negro peoples. Archaeological research in Africa has just begun, and many sources of information in Arabian, Portuguese, and other tongues are not fully at our command; and, too, it must frankly be confessed, racial prejudice against darker peoples is still too strong in so-called civilized centers for judicial appraisement of the peoples of Africa. Much intensive monographic work in history and science is needed to clear mooted points and quiet the controversialist who mistakes present personal desire for scientific proof. Nevertheless, I have not been able to withstand the temptation to essay such short general statement of the main known facts and their fair interpretation as shall enable the general reader to know as men a sixth or more of the human race. Manifestly so short a story must be mainly conclusions and generalizations with but meager indication of authorities and underlying arguments." - W. E. B. Du Bois

The Negro is a classic African American history text by the great African American writer, W.E.B. Du Bois. The time has not yet come for a complete history of the African peoples. Archeological research in Africa has just begun, and many sources of information in Arabian, Portuguese, and other tongues are not fully at our command; and, too, it must frankly be confessed, racial prejudice against darker peoples is still too strong in so-called civilized centers for judicial appraisement of the peoples of Africa.