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Explore W.E.B. Du Bois’s writings from The Crisis by decade, year, or volume

Explore W.E.B. Du Bois’s 600+ articles from The Crisis magazine organized by topic, time period, or volume.

Browse by Topic

All 708 articles have been indexed with structured metadata using Library Science principles. Browse by:

  • Subjects - 28 major topics including Lynching, Voting Rights, Pan-Africanism, Educational Inequality
  • People - 18 historical figures including Woodrow Wilson, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey
  • Places - 30 locations including Haiti, Chicago, Atlanta, Africa

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By Decade

1910s: The Founding Years

The Crisis is launched. Du Bois establishes his voice on segregation, voting rights, and the NAACP’s mission during a period of intense racial violence and World War I.

Key themes: Founding the NAACP, anti-lynching campaigns, WWI and the Great Migration

1920s: Post-War & Renaissance

The Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance. Du Bois writes on the “New Negro,” Pan-Africanism, and the contradictions of American democracy in an age of cultural flowering.

Key themes: Pan-African Congresses, Harlem Renaissance, Marcus Garvey, political disillusionment

1930-1934: Depression Era

Du Bois’s final years at The Crisis. Economic crisis reshapes debates over segregation, self-help, and the role of organized labor.

Key themes: Great Depression, economic justice, debates on segregation, Communist Party

By Year

1910-1914: Early Years
  • 1910 - Launch of The Crisis (Nov-Dec)
  • 1911 - Establishing the voice
  • 1912 - Growing influence
  • 1913 - Political battles
  • 1914 - Eve of World War I
1915-1919: World War I Era
  • 1915 - War in Europe begins
  • 1916 - Presidential politics
  • 1917 - U.S. enters war, Great Migration, Houston Mutiny
  • 1918 - War ends, flu pandemic
  • 1919 - Red Summer of race riots
1920-1929: Jazz Age
  • 1920-1924 - Post-war adjustment, Pan-African Congresses
  • 1925-1929 - Harlem Renaissance peaks
1930-1934: Final Years
  • 1930-1934 - Depression, debates on separation vs integration

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