The gift of Black folk : the Negroes in the making of America / W.E.B. Du Bois ; introduction by Carl A. Anderson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963.

Series:

Knights of Columbus series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African Americans--History.

African Americans.

History.

United States--Race relations.

United States.

Race relations.

Physical Description:

x, 198 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Garden City Park, NY : Square One Pub., [2009]

Summary:

Although the Civil War marked an end to slavery in the United States, it would take another fifty years to establish the country's civil rights movement. Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois was among the first generation of African-American scholars to spearhead this movement towards equality. As cofounder of the NAACP, he sought to initiate equality through social change, and as a talented writer, he created books and essays that provide a revealing glimpse into the black experience of the times. In The Gift of Black Folk-one of Du Bois' most important works-he recounts the remarkable history of African-Americans and their many unsung contributions to American society.

Commissioned by the Knights of Columbus Historical Commission and produced in 1924 at the height of the country's Black Renaissance, The Gift of Black Folk represents one of the first critically acclaimed black histories. In it, Dr. Du Bois chronicled the role of blacks in the early exploration of America, the crucial parts they played in developing the country's agricultural industry, and the courage they displayed on the many battlefields of our young nation. He documented their creative genius in virtually every aspect of American culture-music, painting, sculpture, literature, theater, and invention. He also highlighted the unique contributions of black women, proposing the idea that their freedom could lead to freedom for all women.

The year 2009 marked two important events: the one-hundred-year anniversary of the founding of the NAACP, and the inauguration of the country's first African-American president. How timely that The Gift of Black Folk is now back in print, providing a powerful picture of the struggles that paved the way for freedom and equality in our nation.

Contents:

Prescript 3

1 The Black Explorers 5

2 Black Labor 13

3 Black Soldiers 29

4 The Emancipation of Democracy 57

5 The Reconstruction of Freedom 81

6 The Freedom of Womanhood 119

7 The American Folk Song 127

8 Negro Art and Literature 135

9 The Gift of the Spirit 151

Postscript 163.

Notes:

Originally published in 1924.

Includes "The racial contributions to the United States" by Edward F. McSweeney.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-191) and index.

Contains:

McSweeney, Edward F. (Edward Francis), 1864- Racial contributions to the United States.

ISBN:

9780757003196

0757003192

OCLC:

289070808