Authors, poets & big ideas
W. E. B. Du Bois
1868–1963
Massachusetts connection
Great Barrington and Cambridge
Du Bois grew up in Great Barrington and became a scholar, author, and civil rights leader. He used history, research, and writing to challenge racism. His books and work with the NAACP connected the experiences of Black Americans to debates about rights around the world.
You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.
Your turn, historian
Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- How could this person’s words change the way a reader thinks?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“W. E. B. Du Bois mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Follow the evidence.
This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.
Read the source: National Park Service ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?