16: W.E.B. DuBois, “Ownership of Materials and men in the darker world” (1915)

“Ownership of Materials and Men in the Darker World” was created by W.E.B. DuBois a member of the NAACP, and the purpose was to talk about how nations like the United States and Europe are taking over other countries.  This document was created in the 1915 and was known for his work on the Souls of Black folks in 1902, W.E.B would later be a leader for the National Association of Colored people in 1920 and would play a role in the civil rights m.  W.E.B mentions how the working class of the people of Asia, Central America, the West Indies, and the small island of the south seas are being exploited by the empire of the United States. W.E.B argues that it’s time for these nations to pay back to the people of these countries whose resources were taken by these powerful countries. Another key takeaway from this document is how these nations built their social class from the backs of the people of these countries. The only way to stop the suffering is to give the idea of democracy to every nation.

This document supports the author in many ways. The author’s argument for this book is to talk and show how the United States of America became an empire like most of Europe and expanded its power amongst other countries and exploited them for their own benefits. This document shows how the United States built its social class and wealth from other counties that were taking advantage of the United States. It also shows how the United States thought little of the people of these countries because of the color of their skin.

This document gives us a glance at the early days of what people thought and would lead to the civil rights movement in the United States. This document relates to my project of how the United States took advantage of different countries for example Latin America and use the labor of these people to build up their nations from the ground up and left them with nothing. Overall, the Ownership, of Materials and men in the darker world document shows us how people of color are starting to fight for their voice from these powerful nations and begins many movements around the world to organize to fight for a fair and better future.

Source:

Du Bois , William Edward Burghardt. ” Ownership of Materials and men in the darker world” 1915. In American Empire at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, edited by Kristin Hoganson, 44.  Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2017.