Booker T. Dubois Negro Summary

DuBois wrote The Souls of Black Folk in 1903, which can fall into two periods: “nadir of American racial relations” and Jim Crow. “Nadir of American racial relations” is a term coined by historian Rayford Logan and was expanded upon by historians such as James Loewen. The “nadir” is defined as an era that began after the Reconstruction era and lasted until the Second World War. It is a time period where blacks in the South were subject to extreme forms of racism perpetuated by the society. The very rights that were provided to them after the emancipation and during the Reconstruction era were being suppressed by people who felt that they did not deserve it. This suppression came through the establishment of Jim Crow laws, and anti-black violence. Whites had feared that blacks could have a lot of influence in the political sphere, and thus used violence as a fear tactic to prevent blacks from voting. Literacy tests and poll taxes were also used as methods to keep blacks from voting, particularly because many of them were not educated or could not afford to pay the taxes to vote. The passing of Jim Crow laws also fueled the political and social

Washington’s ideas. Booker T. Washington was a prominent figure after the Reconstruction Era. He was a part of the group that created the Atlanta Compromise, which stated that blacks would submit to white political rule in exchange for vocational education. This agreement would ensure that black men could have an education which would aid in their accumulation of wealth, and allow them to live in peace with the white men in their community. DuBois does not necessarily agree with Washington, feeling as if he was complying with the notion of black inferiority. He promoted the notion of submissiveness through telling people to focus on their personal development, giving up their civil rights