Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A gifted writer, scholar, sociologist, historian and activist, W.E.B. DuBois was one of the founding fathers of the US Civil Rights movement. In 1924, during the height of the country's Black Renaissance, he produced a remarkable history of the African-Americans - The Gift of Black Folk. This work represents one of the firsts insider's views of the black experience in America. At a time when the United States prepares to welcome its first African-American president, this book provides a unique picture of the struggles that paved the way for freedom and equality in our nation.
Synopsis
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, Du Bois recounts the history of African Americans and their many unsung contributions to American society. He chronicles their role in the early exploration of America, their part in developing the country's agricultural industry, their courage on the battlefields, and their creative genius in virtually every aspect of American culture. He also highlights the contributions of black women, proposing that their freedom could lead to freedom for all women.
The Gift of Black Folk provides a powerful picture of the many struggles that paved the way for freedom and equality in our nation.
Synopsis
*** A REVISED EDITION OF THE W. E. B. DU BOIS CLASSIC ***
COMMISSIONED BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
(1.4 MILLION MEMBERS WORLDWIDE)
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.