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1-Page Summary of The Souls Of Black Folk
Overall Summary
The main issue in the 20th century was how to deal with race. Du Bois’ book focused on that problem and all readers would be interested, no matter their race. He described what each chapter covered and why one should read his work.
The first chapter opens with Du Bois noting that white people are curious about what it’s like to be viewed as a problem by society. He recalls the moment at which he became aware of racism as a child, when a little white girl in his elementary school class refused to accept a greeting card he gave her. Racism is illustrated by the Veil, which separates black people from whites and from the broader society in which they live. The Veil produces double-consciousness, or black people feeling themselves both through their own eyes and through the hostile gaze of racism. This leads them to experience internal conflict and confusion because they see themselves differently than others do.
Du Bois notes that slaves dreamed about freedom, but when they got it, there was chaos and violence. Although the Civil War abolished slavery, life for freedmen wasn’t easy because of their treatment by Union armies during the war.
In order to help newly freed slaves, the federal government created the Freedmen’s Bureau. It sent money, clothes and educational materials to the South. The bureau also helped blacks get better jobs and a fairer criminal justice system. Although this was planned with good intentions, it didn’t work out as expected. Confusion in the South combined with racism from whites prevented many of those goals from being met. In addition, the government shut down the bureau at some point because it wasn’t successful enough.
Du Bois says that Washington is extremely popular among white people and has many excellent qualities, but he also points out that this popularity creates a ‘cult’ of followers who will not criticize him. Du Bois argues that in the days of slavery there were plenty of slave uprisings, but as time went on they became less frequent. By the time Emancipation came along, the key leader of African Americans was conciliatory to whites, making a famous speech which involved giving up their fight for political and civil rights. Although Du Bois does not say it directly, he suggests some responsibility lies with Washington for losing those fights after Reconstruction. He concludes by saying that African-American leaders need to be stronger in order to win more battles into the future.
Du Bois then tells a story about his time teaching in rural Tennessee. He was close with the students at that school, especially one girl named Josie. She was kind and intelligent but died years later due to poverty.
W. E. B. Du Bois shifts his focus to the city of Atlanta, and describes how young black students there are eager to learn and excel in their studies. He argues that they should be given the chance to study at elite institutions like Atlanta University (now Morehouse College), where they can become leaders in society through classical education, which teaches moral values as well as truth and reason. Slavery had prevented blacks from learning even basic skills; so it would be a great shame if this trend continued into the post-Emancipation period, when blacks have shown their ability to succeed when provided with adequate opportunities for higher education. It is thus a matter of great urgency that educational opportunities become available for young African Americans throughout America’s Southland region.
The next chapter takes us away from the pleasant environment of Atlanta University and into a more violent, segregated area. The author describes the Black Belt where many poor black people live. He notes that they are haunted by memories of slavery and have few opportunities to get ahead in life. Indeed, most still live in slave cabins or work like slaves on plantations, which prevents them from owning land or paying off their debts.
