*** 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. The Gift of Black Folk - "(Du Bois') singular greatness lay in his quest for truth about his own people." ― Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. William Edward Burghardt Du Boi s, a gifted writer, scholar, sociologist, historian, and activist, became the first African-American to receive a PhD from Harvard University in 1895. An exponent of full equality for African- Americans, Du Bois was a cofounder of the Niagara Movement, which became the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. A leading voice of the black community, Dr. Du Bois’ teachings, writings, and lectures provided a platform for his views that prompted action and change. Until his death in 1963, W.E.B. Du Bois led a passionate life of ceaseless energy and purposeful writing. Introduction Once in a great while a book comes out that truly changes the way people look at an important issue. Such was the case in 1924 with the publication of W.E.B. DuBois’ book The Gift of Black Folk: The Negroes in the Making of America . In its review of the book in August 1924, the Oakland Tribune declared: “The book is one of the most valuable contributions to American literature published in a decade, the result of which should create a better understanding among the races. It proves that Negroes (sic) have the right to be considered and treated as American citizens.” Today, more than four decades after the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964 – with African Americans having served on the Supreme Court for decades, as Secretary of State for nearly a decade, and now as President of the United States – the statement made by the Oakland Tribune seems more than obvious. However, four decades before the Civil Rights Act, in 1924, the fact that African Americans were full citizens and should be considered as such would have seemed revolutionary to many Americans. Jim Crow laws littered the books in many states, segregated schools were often the norm, and American students and readers were often led by the revisionist historians of the day to believe that white Protestant men were the only heroes in American history. Catholic, Jewish, and especially African Americans had no place on the historical timeline popular in the early 20th century. Both despite – and because of – such widespread bigotry, one organization took up the cause of racial and religious minorities in the United States, seeking to add to the historical record of this country the important pieces that had been previously neglected. That organization was the Knights of Columbus. As Catholics, the Knights of Columbus knew first-hand about prejudice and discrimination. The Knights were founded in Connecticut in 1882 at a time when Catholics had only recently gained the right to vote in that state, and when those who practiced the Catholic faith routinely faced discrimination, especially in employment. Things hadn’t improved much by the 1920s. A resurgent Ku Klux Klan targeted – in addition to African Americans – Jews and Catholics. At the Klan’s instigation, Oregon passed a law, targeted at Catholics, whi