W. E. B. Du Bois was a sociologist and activist who…
A) founded the Niagara Movement and the NAACP.
B) founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association.
C) supported the accommodationist approach.
D) supported the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is A) founded the Niagara Movement and the NAACP.
Explanation:
W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was a pioneering African American sociologist, historian, and activist who made significant contributions to the struggle for civil rights and social justice in the United States. Du Bois was a vocal advocate for political and social equality for Black Americans, and he worked tirelessly to challenge systemic racism and segregation.
In 1905, Du Bois helped to found the Niagara Movement, a group of African American leaders who met in Niagara Falls, Canada, to protest the inadequate response of the mainstream civil rights organizations to issues like racial discrimination and segregation. The Niagara Movement called for immediate political, civil, and economic rights for African Americans, challenging the notion that Black people should be content with gradual progress. Du Bois’s leadership in this movement laid the groundwork for future civil rights efforts.
The Niagara Movement eventually led to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Du Bois became one of the NAACP’s most prominent leaders and served as its director of publicity and research. Under his leadership, the NAACP worked to fight racial discrimination, educate the public about the injustices African Americans faced, and advocate for changes in the legal and political systems. The NAACP was instrumental in efforts such as challenging Jim Crow laws and the fight for equal rights, and it became one of the leading civil rights organizations in the 20th century.
Du Bois was an intellectual powerhouse who believed that higher education and political activism were essential for Black Americans to achieve equality. He opposed the ideas of accommodation and compromise, which were advocated by leaders like Booker T. Washington, instead urging direct action and social change. His legacy as a founder of the Niagara Movement and the NAACP continues to be celebrated in the history of the civil rights movement.