The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois

THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK is a pioneering work of African-American studies and sociology by leading civil rights activist and historian W.E.B. DuBois. Consisting of a series of essays, the work was one of the earliest and most influential to give voice to the struggle for African-American civil rights in the United States. Among his other points, DuBois argues against negative stereotypes of the black community, instead contending that racism was largely to blame for crime and indolence. THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK also challenges Booker T. Washington's notion of racial compromise and industrial education, instead calling for widespread classical education to empower black leaders.