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Classroom · Grades 9–12

W. E. B. Du Bois

W. E. B. Du Bois used rigorous scholarship as a weapon against the color line, and his debate with Booker T. Washington framed a lasting question about how an oppressed people should pursue freedom.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 9–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 2 (Time, Continuity, and Change), 5 (Individuals, Groups, and Institutions), and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.His.4, D2.His.5, D2.His.16
Reading
W. E. B. Du Bois (profile)

Big Idea

W. E. B. Du Bois used rigorous scholarship as a weapon against the color line, and his debate with Booker T. Washington framed a lasting question about how an oppressed people should pursue freedom.

Before Class

Students read the profile of W. E. B. Du Bois, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. What did Du Bois mean by “double-consciousness,” and does the idea still describe experiences people have today?
  2. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington disagreed about political rights and economic progress. Which strategy made more sense in 1903, and why?
  3. Du Bois presented hand-drawn data charts about Black American life at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Why might data have been a powerful form of protest?
  4. Black Reconstruction challenged the view that Reconstruction failed because of Black incapacity. Why does the way historians tell the story of the past matter for politics in the present?
  5. Du Bois died a citizen of Ghana. What does his life suggest about the connections between Black Americans and Africa?

Activity

Pair students and give each pair a key passage from Washington’s 1895 Atlanta address and from the chapter of The Souls of Black Folk titled “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others.” Each pair completes a T-chart of what each man asks Black Americans to prioritize and what each asks of white Americans. Pairs then role-play a two-minute exchange between the two men. Close with a whole-class vote and discussion: which argument better anticipated the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and what evidence from the profile supports that view? (35–40 minutes.)

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: W. E. B. Du Bois.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/web-du-bois/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: W. E. B. Du Bois. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/web-du-bois/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: W. E. B. Du Bois.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/web-du-bois/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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