African American

Du Bois argues in chapter two of Souls that “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” Write a paper that argues for the validity of this perspective. You will need to describe the more general problem that Du Bois is addressing—namely, the presumption that black people are to blame for their own problems rather than the insidious effects of systematic racism. You will then need to describe how he attempts to overcome this prevailing assumption. What sorts of examples does he provide that demonstrates, on the one hand, the effects of racism and, on the other hand, the work of African Americans to better their lives and conditions. Be certain to marshal specific passages and descriptions from the text.