Primary Source Analysis "The Talented Tenth"

Racism has been very pervasive among African people, raising many discriminations and prejudices towards them based on their races of ethnicity. W. E. B. Du Bois was a prestigious African American sociologist, historian, author and civil rights activist during the course of his life. He was the most important black protest leader in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. He plunged himself into the liberation of black people in both the United States and Africa since 1980s. “The talented tenth” is a very popular phrase created by Du Bois in an article published in anthology The Negro Problem in 1903. He made a huge effort to publish The Negro Problem. Throughout the essay, he issued a very important argument for the higher education and social responsibilities of African Americans. In this essay, “culture anxiety” is an important key word that refers to the anxiety and worry about culture and civilization. Du Bois’s culture anxiety exist and also was reflected in his journey of pursuing a better and higher education.

This also paved a way for his academic achievement and also shaped his racial thoughts, cultural values with unique insights. Moreover, Du Bois knew the Negro race should be first dealt with the talented teeth. “Educating the best minds of the race disseminates into the rest, allowing the general uplift of all. ” From Du Bois, he emphasized and believed that African Americans needed a classical education to make them to be able to reach their potential, so they can build their leadership of the race. In his view, education can be very stressed because the ultimate goal of education should not just be making a living. “The talented teeth” laid a great value on teachers, as “there must be teachers, and teachers of teachers, and the attempt to establish any sort of system of common and industrial school training, without first providing for the higher training of the very best teachers, is simply throwing your money at the winds. ” He also emphasized that although when it comes to teaching people technical skills, industrial training is effective, it would not be able to create “men”. From this point, higher education should be the foundation of the education system for African Americans. In his claims, he believed that the Negro race is going to be saved by its exceptional men and he wants to develop the best of this race.

The professional and vocational training that sponsored by white people in North dominate the mainstream education for black people in the South. Du Bois did not compromise, so he challenged to Booker T. Washington’s tactics which argued that Africa American should focus on industrial training, whereas the “liberal arts education” which is able to highlight the cultivation of humanities and especially higher education was restricted and ignored. Therefore, Du Bois believed African Americans should have a system of education in the same way for white people, including technical or industrial schools, classic educational schools and definitely schools of higher education.