The Souls of Black Folk

First published in 1903, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois' "The Souls of Black Folk" is a seminal work in African American literature and an American classic. 

In this work Du Bois proposes that "the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line." His concepts of life behind the veil of race and the resulting "double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others," have become touchstones for thinking about race in America. In addition to these enduring concepts, "The Souls of Black Folk" offers an assessment of the progress of the race, the obstacles to that progress, and the possibilities for future progress as the nation entered the twentieth century.

The book contains several essays on race, some of which the magazine Atlantic Monthly had previously published. To develop this work, Du Bois drew from his own experiences as an African American in American society. Outside of its notable relevance in African-American history, "The Souls of Black Folk" also holds an important place in social science as one of the early works in the field of sociology.