The Negro — Story, Setting & Ideas

The Opening: A Continent Defined by Contrast

The first chapter, "Africa," establishes a dual portrait: Africa is "at once the most romantic and the most tragic of continents." Du Bois immediately challenges the narrow scientific definition of "Negro" that confined the term to a small region between the Niger and Senegal. He quotes Ratzel to dismiss this as a "refinement of science which to an unprejudiced eye will hardly hold water." Instead, Du Bois adopts a broader definition, noting that in North America a Negro "may be seven-eighths white," and uses this inclusive lens to argue that Negroes have been "among the leaders of civilization in every age." The opening thus sets up a central rhetorical strategy: redefining terms to reclaim a global historical role.

The Middle: Evidence of Civilization and Commerce

In later excerpts, Du Bois marshals specific evidence of African achievement. He describes an ancient trade route "running from Itimbiri to Batubenge, about six hundred miles in length," destroyed by Arabian "missionaries of civilization" only toward the close of the eighteenth century. He notes that smiths still remembered the names of places along that route, a detail that underscores the vitality of pre-colonial commerce. Du Bois also emphasizes the "true African dignity" observed by Livingstone, citing the "deliberateness, a majesty, a dignity" in African greetings. These concrete examples serve to counter the prevailing image of Africa as primitive, presenting instead a continent with complex social structures and long-distance networks.

The Later Excerpts: Confronting Misinformation

Du Bois directly addresses the persistence of misinformation about Africa, asking why "so much of misinformation and contempt is widespread concerning Africa and its people, not simply among the unthinking mass, but among men of education and knowledge." He attributes this partly to the connotation of the term "Negro," which in Africa had been increasingly restricted by some scientists. By exposing the arbitrariness of such definitions, Du Bois argues that the "hideous Negro type" once imagined all over Africa has "evaporated from all parts of Africa, to settle no one knows how in just this region." This critique of scientific racism is a recurring thread, showing how terminology itself can distort historical understanding.

Structure and Voice: A Synthesis of Sources

Du Bois's method is synthetic: he weaves together travelers' accounts, archaeological findings, and comparative anthropology. The preface admits that the book is "mainly conclusions and generalizations with but meager indication of authorities and underlying arguments," yet the excerpts show careful attribution—Ratzel, Livingstone, Stanley, and others are cited. The voice is measured but impassioned, as when he declares that "the more we study the Negro the more we realize that we are dealing with a normal human stock." The table of contents reveals a broad geographical and chronological sweep, from ancient Ethiopia to the United States, suggesting that the book's structure itself is an argument for the global significance of African history.

Readers should approach The Negro as an early attempt at a global history of the African diaspora, written at a time when such a project was still controversial. Du Bois's prefatory caution—that a complete history is not yet possible—invites critical engagement with his sources and conclusions. Pay attention to how he uses the term "Negro" inclusively and how he juxtaposes European travelers' observations with his own interpretations. The book is as much a historiographical intervention as a historical survey, and its value lies partly in revealing the assumptions and debates of its era.

Rereading Du Bois's quiet insistence on dignity in The Negro — Story, Setting & Ideas, I found myself thinking of labor holidays, oddly enough. His chronicle of resilience against imposed chains reminded me how much we mark time itself with memory. A colleague once lent me this: International May Day and American Labor Day A Holiday Expressing Working Class Emancipation Versus a Holiday Exalting Labor's Chains — Context and Discussion — different ground, same sorrowful echo of what freedom costs.