W. E. B. Du Bois - biography. Black American historian and

W. E. B. Du Bois - biography. Black American historian and sociologist Birth February 23, 1868 Death August 27, 1963 Place of Great Barrington, Massachusetts Birth Known for Documenting the black experience in America Advancing black civil rights and advocating pan-Africanism Milestones 1896 Published his doctoral dissertation, The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870, as the first volume in the Harvard Historical Studies Series 1897-1910 Taught sociology, economics, and history at Atlanta University 1899 Wrote The Philadelphia Negro, the first sociological text on a black community published in the United States 1903 Published a collection of essays titled The Souls of Black Folk 1905 Helped form the Niagara Movement, an all-black organization that advocated equal rights 1909 Cofounded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he thereafter held various positions, including editor of the NAACP magazine The Crisis from 1910-1934, and director of special research from 1944-1948 1934-1944 Taught sociology and served as chairman of Atlanta University's sociology department 1950 Chaired the Peace Information Center, a New York group that petitioned for a ban on nuclear weapons 1959 Received the Lenin Peace Prize, awarded by the government of the then-Soviet Union for his efforts toward international peace 1961 Moved to Ghana, West Africa, where he became a citizen in 1963; began work on the Encyclopedia Africana, a reference work on the experiences of Africans throughout the world Quote 'The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.' John Brown, 1909 Did You In 1895 Du Bois became the first black person to receive a doctoral degree from Harvard University. Know Du Bois helped organize several pan-African meetings and attended seven between 1900 and 1945. Du Bois joined the Communist Party when he was 93 years old. The United States government accused Du Bois of being an agent of the U.S.S.R., and in 1951 brought him to trial; he was acquitted. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.