The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois
"The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois" is a significant work that chronicles the life and thoughts of one of the most influential African American intellectuals and civil rights activists of the twentieth century. It provides a personal narrative that spans various critical periods in American history, beginning with the post-Civil War Reconstruction era and reaching into the Cold War. Through his reflections, Du Bois not only recounts his individual experiences, struggles, and achievements, but also articulates his vision for racial equality and social justice for African Americans.
The autobiography is structured chronologically, starting with Du Bois' travels to Europe, the Soviet Union, and China, which ultimately play a pivotal role in his ideological transformation towards communism. This decision and its implications are explored in depth, showcasing how his life experiences shaped his worldview. Notably, the text includes a compelling account of Du Bois' trial in the early 1950s for failing to register as a foreign agent, a moment that marked a turning point in his trust in American institutions.
Published in 1968, during a time of heightened political tension, the autobiography reflects on Du Bois' evolving beliefs and enduring hope for humanity, even as he faced significant challenges. While it is less known than his other autobiographical works, it remains a profound exploration of his lifelong commitment to civil rights and personal growth.
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Subject Terms
The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois
First published:Vospominaniia, 1962 (English translation, 1968)
The Work
The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois is the inspiring story of a foremost African American intellectual and civil rights leader of the twentieth century. He discusses his individual struggles and accomplishments, as well as his major ideas dedicated to promoting racial equality for Africans and African Americans. Moving from the reconstruction era after the U.S. Civil War, through World Wars I and II, to the height of the Cold War and the atomic age, Du Bois’ personal reflections provide a critical, panoramic sweep of American social history. Du Bois did not simply observe the American scene; he altered it as a leader of African Americans in the American Civil Rights movement.
The chronological structure of The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois begins with five chapters on his travels to Europe, the Soviet Union, and China. After these travels, Du Bois announces the crowning ideological decision of his life: his conversion to communism. The remainder of The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois answers the question: How did Du Bois arrive at this crucial decision in the last years of his life? Du Bois chronicles his life patterns of childhood, education, work for civil rights, travel, friendships, and writings. This information is written in such a way that it explains his decision to adopt communism as his political worldview.
Perhaps the most fascinating section of the book is Du Bois’ account of his trial and subsequent acquittal in 1950 and 1951 for alleged failure to register as an agent of a foreign government, a sobering story of public corruption. His fundamental faith in American institutions, already strained by racism, was destroyed. He moved to Ghana and threw his tremendous energies into that nation as it shed its colonial experience.
The autobiography is subtitled as a soliloquy, but this categorization reflects the political realities of 1960 more than the specific literary form of speaking to oneself. At the time, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union made communism an abhorrent choice to many Americans. The autobiography finally appeared in English in 1968, at a publishing house known for its communist writings. The autobiography is the least read of Du Bois’ autobiographies, although it is an engaging exposition in which Du Bois shows his continuing growth and faith in human nature during his tenth decade.
Bibliography
DeMarco, Joseph P. The Social Thought of W. E. B. Du Bois. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1983. Incisive exploration of Du Bois’s philosophy.
Du Bois, W. E. B. Du Bois: Writings. Edited by Nathan Huggins. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 1986. Provides one of the most complete compilations of Du Bois’s writings, including his first book and essays and speeches that cover the period from 1890 to 1958.
Du Bois, W. E. B. W. E. B. Du Bois: On Sociology and the Black Community. Edited by Dan S. Green and Edwin D. Driver. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978. Discusses the sociological contributions of W. E. B. Du Bois. The introduction provides a summary of his life and times. The remainder of the text consists of essays and excerpts from works dealing with sociology, the black community, black families, black culture, and race relations.
Essien-Udom, E. U. Black Nationalism: A Search for an Identity in America. New York: Dell Books, 1964. Identifies Du Bois as one of the major black intellectuals responsible for initiating pan-Africanism, a movement seeking the political unification of Africa led by African Americans. Argues that Du Bois differed from others of the period in that he called for full political participation and racial unity to respond to racism.
Gillman, Susan, and Alys Eve Weinbaum, eds. Next to the Color Line: Gender, Sexuality, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007. Compiles scholarly works discussing the gendering of race and the racing of gender in Du Bois, as well as his influence on African American sexuality generally.
Keller, Mary, and Chester J. Fontenot, Jr., eds. Re-cognizing W. E. B. Du Bois in the Twenty-first Century: Essays on W. E. B. Du Bois. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2007. Collection of essays reevaluating Du Bois’s influence upon social, political, and religious thought.
Rampersad, Arnold. Introduction to The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois: A Soliloquy on Viewing My Life from the Last Decade of Its First Century, by W. E. B. Du Bois. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Commentary on Du Bois’s biography by a renowned biographer and literary critic, reviewing its importance from the point of view of the early twenty-first century.
Turner, Jonathan H., Royce Singleton, Jr., and David Musick. Oppression: A Socio-history of Black-White Relations in America. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1984. Classifies Du Bois, along with Frederick Douglass, A. Philip Randolph, and Martin Luther King, Jr., as a “protest integrationist.” Argues that these individuals attempted to work within the political system in order to change it. In this regard, Du Bois was the intellectual heir to Frederick Douglass, becoming the recognized leader of the Civil Rights movement and expanding the movement into the international arena. Further, Du Bois carried this torch from the turn of the century, passing it on to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the mid-1950’s.