The Conservation of Races: (Masterpiece Collection) African American Classic

by W.E.B. Du Bois

The American Negro has always felt an intense personal interest in discussions as to the origins and destinies of races: primarily because back of most discussions of race with which he is familiar, have lurked certain assumptions as to his natural abilities, as to his political, intellectual and moral status, which he felt were wrong. He has, consequently, been led to deprecate and minimize race distinctions, to believe intensely that out of one blood God created all nations, and to speak of human brotherhood as though it were the possibility of an already dawning to-morrow.

Genres: Nonfiction, Academic, Classics, Sociology, American

26 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1897

About the author

In 1868, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (pronounced 'doo-boyz') was born in Massachusetts. He attended Fisk College in Nashville, then earned his BA in 1890 and his MS in 1891 from Harvard. Du Bois studied at the University of Berlin, then earned his doctorate in history from Harvard in 1894. He taught economics and history at Atlanta University from 1897-1910. The Souls of Black Folk (1903) made his name, in which he urged black Americans to stand up for their educational and economic rights. Du Bois was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and edited the NAACP's official journal, "Crisis," from 1910 to 1934. Du Bois turned "Crisis" into the foremost black literary journal. The black nationalist expanded his interests to global concerns, and is called the "father of Pan-Africanism" for organizing international black congresses.

Although he used some religious metaphor and expressions in some of his books and writings, Du Bois called himself a freethinker. In "On Christianity," a posthumously published essay, Du Bois critiqued the black church: "The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being decent and threatening them with the terrors of death and punishment. We are still trained to believe a good deal that is simply childish in theology. The outward and visible punishment of every wrong deed that men do, the repeated declaration that anything can be gotten by anyone at any time by prayer." Du Bois became a member of the Communist Party and officially repudiated his U.S. citizenship at the end of his life, dying in his adopted country of Ghana. D. 1963.

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Reviews

[Gabriel Avocado · Rating 2 out of 5]

dubois was corny af!!!! prostitutes marching straight towards hell? black laziness? shut the fuck up man. he proposes some interesting things but like oh my god enough

[Illiterate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Du Bois conceives of races as biological (“blood”) and spiritual entities. I think this concept is a problem not a solution.

[John Jacobi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because his anthropology was so spotty and outdated, the majority of the book seemed not worth reading. I read the first few chapters, but the best of the book is in the introduction and conclusion, and perhaps his musings on the "negro situation" in America. His introduction gives a good look at his overall project: provide an organization that will lead the development of a "negro message" to civilization.

Was interesting to see how embedded in the Western project Du Bois' thought was. He mentions things like "that one far-off Divine event" of the unity of the human race; he mentions the need to develop racial messages; in short, he hardly shies away from the race idea the way modern black thinkers seem to.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

He almost had my sympathy with the talk of how hard it is integrate, but then, he said he didn't want to integrate as a people. Also he gives black people too much credit. White people can be good at things, too. Never again will I read anything of his.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a challenging article. Lots to chew on here.

[K Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

WEB DuBois shows us how important it is to work within on our bias as we work towards a more just world.

Black folks have something valuable to contribute to our global society.

[Emilie Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really relevant to the current political system of the United States: to be a good American is to be a bad BPOC, but to be a good BPOC is to be a bad American.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty fascinating essay/book given the time it was written

[Galicius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong message here. My only reservation was that Mr. DuBois claims that the Magyars are Slavs. They are not, they area Magyars or Hungarians.

[Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ideas in this, but it was only a very short paper.