the souls of black folk of our spiritual strivings

In “Of the Faith of the Fathers,” Du Bois traces the evolution of African-American spirituality from Africa to the role of the modern black church. In “Of the Songs of Master and Man,” Du Bois offers a sociological examination of contacts between the races and concludes that continued segregation is a danger to the United States. In “Of the Black Belt” and “Of the Quest of the Golden Fleece,” Du Bois describes the negative impact that a cotton economy has had on both black and white Southerners. In “Of the Training of Black Men,” Du Bois argues that education is necessary for the continued prosperity of the nation and the uplifting of African Americans.

In “Of the Wings of Atalanta,” Du Bois holds up modern Atlanta as a prime example of the dangers of materialism to the South, African Americans, and America. In “Of the Wings of Progress,” Du Bois describes how little progress African Americans made toward gaining the benefits of freedom from the beginning of the US Civil War in 1861 until 1872. Washington and Others,” Du Bois attacks Washington’s focus on education and argues that his compromise on civil rights was moral and political cowardice. In “Of the Dawn of Freedom,” Du Bois offers a historical narrative of Emancipation and the years during which the Freedmen’s Bureau guided African Americans’ lives. For example, although as an African American in New England, Du Bois was able to attend Harvard University and was afforded many of the privileges of any.In “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” Du Bois describes the psychological struggles of African Americans as they navigate a world that treats them as second-class Americans. This theme extends into the contradictory nature of American policies toward black people during the time the work was written. As both 'Negro' and American, black people are organized into public and private identities, neither regarded as whole by mainstream, white America.

Du Bois contends that African Americans experience a split in self-concept because they are regarded with 'contempt and pity' by the majority of their fellow Americans. In 'Of Our Spiritual Strivings,' Du Bois makes reference to the experience of 'double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others.' This concept of dual identity appears throughout the text in nearly every essay and is central to the author's goal in making the African-American condition understood.

The souls of black folk of our spiritual strivings