William Edward Burghardt DuBois was the most influential black American leader of the first half of the twentieth century. His work paved the way for the civil rights, Pan-African and Black Power movements and inspired generations of leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A brilliant writer and speaker, he was the outstanding black American intellectual of his time and co-founder of the NAACP. Drawing upon his many written works and speeches, this volume collects together some of his most thought-provoking and important ideas.