William Edward Burghardt Dubois was one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights movement. Dubois was also the key founder of the NAACP and editor of the journal The "Crisis". DuBois was born in great Barrington, Mass. On February 23, 1868. When DuBois was 18 he saved for a year   to enter Harvard but instead enrolled at Fisk University  in NashVille    He was also the editor of  the Fisk Herald, college newspaper.

DuBois graduated Fisk University  in 1888 and then enrolled in Harvard and earned his degree in Sociology.  He then traveled to Europe during the years of  graduate studies. Dubois then returned from Europe in 1894. He then got a job as a professor at the Wilber Force University in Ohio. After two years of teaching at William Force University he started teaching at the University of Pennsylvania and began to write for the Atlantic Monthly. Which was an entire Encyclopedia on race relations and the American negro. After this he went through a period of transitions that lasted five years. [1903-1908]. Dubois was in conflict with Booker T. Washington. Washington saw things differently called for education and enlightenment reaching out to the so-called "talented tenth" of the black socioty. Dubois put his ideas into a book called The Souls of Black Folk. Pro-Dubois heckler, who antagonized Washington and was arrested at Washington's speech in Boston. Dubois gathered small forces near Buffalo, NY. where the Niagara Movement was born. The NAACP had 8 goals, two of which were the right to for the black man and end all laws based on color. NAACP had met again in Virginia in 1906, but with out National strength. In April 12,1909 Dubois was named group director of publication and research. Dubois worked hard to improve the black mans lot.

Work in a pan-African congress and travels to Africa convinced Dubois, blacks needed to work harder for their rights. He parted company with NAACP. At age 93, he returned his renounced his citizenship to America. he then joined the communist party. Dubois died August, 27 1963 at age 95.
   

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