The Problem of the Twentieth Century is the Problem of the Color Line

Du Bois’ article is his own account of the struggles that African Americans faced at the turn of the nineteenth century. Du Bois writes of how the African-American community saw the new century as a fresh start. They believed that with slavery several decades behind them that they would be able to become equals, much like other ethnic groups had done after they assimilated into the American culture. What they received from white America was more of the same war, hate, the revolt of the colored people and the fear of more war. He goes on to explain that as time went on things got slightly better for them as a whole.

Du Bois explains that there are seven “burdens” that he sees that need to overcome. The color line that was in place was keeping the African-Americans from having basic essentials that all of Americans have; he says they are education, The right to vote, civil rights, an adequate wage, a free press to fight their battles, and they longed for social equality which at the time was almost unthinkable. These were all things that they had, but they were all inadequate from the rest of America.
Du Bois points out that in the North they were closer to what they strived for than the people living in the South on all of the latter issues. Du Bois does an excellent job of pointing out the struggles that were felt in all of the areas that they believed they should have equality especially after world war two and how African-American soldiers that had fought for the their country returned to a land of inequality and hardships. His final statement “in the long run America will not thank its black children if they help it go the wrong way, or retard its progress.” This statement epitomizes what the article is about that no matter what African-Americans did they were still stuck behind a line drawn in the sand and that line was what he called the color line.