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The Damnation of Women: Essay by W. E. B. du Bois
The Damnation of Essay by W. E. B. du Bois (Grapevine edition)" is a thought-provoking exploration of the multifaceted challenges faced by women in the 19th century, authored by the renowned African American scholar and civil rights activist, W. E. B. du Bois. This essay delves into the intricate intersections of race and gender, examining the societal pressures and prejudices that women, particularly African American women, had to contend with.
Through the lenses of history, social philosophy, and political economy, du Bois's essay provides a deep understanding of the struggles and discrimination endured by women during a pivotal period in American history. This Grapevine edition is an essential resource for scholars, students, and those interested in African American studies, feminism, and the ongoing fight for gender equality.
Du Bois's work continues to inspire critical discussions about the damnation of women, emphasizing the need for equality and justice. This edition underscores the lasting impact of his contributions to the fields of feminism, social philosophy, and the history of African American women's rights, making it a valuable addition to any library.
Through the lenses of history, social philosophy, and political economy, du Bois's essay provides a deep understanding of the struggles and discrimination endured by women during a pivotal period in American history. This Grapevine edition is an essential resource for scholars, students, and those interested in African American studies, feminism, and the ongoing fight for gender equality.
Du Bois's work continues to inspire critical discussions about the damnation of women, emphasizing the need for equality and justice. This edition underscores the lasting impact of his contributions to the fields of feminism, social philosophy, and the history of African American women's rights, making it a valuable addition to any library.
21 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1919
21 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
W.E.B. Du Bois
607 books1,536 followersIn 1868, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (pronounced 'doo-boyz') was born in Massachusetts. He attended Fisk College in Nashville, then earned his BA in 1890 and his MS in 1891 from Harvard. Du Bois studied at the University of Berlin, then earned his doctorate in history from Harvard in 1894. He taught economics and history at Atlanta University from 1897-1910. The Souls of Black Folk (1903) made his name, in which he urged black Americans to stand up for their educational and economic rights. Du Bois was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and edited the NAACP's official journal, "Crisis," from 1910 to 1934. Du Bois turned "Crisis" into the foremost black literary journal. The black nationalist expanded his interests to global concerns, and is called the "father of Pan-Africanism" for organizing international black congresses.
Although he used some religious metaphor and expressions in some of his books and writings, Du Bois called himself a freethinker. In "On Christianity," a posthumously published essay, Du Bois critiqued the black church: "The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being decent and threatening them with the terrors of death and punishment. We are still trained to believe a good deal that is simply childish in theology. The outward and visible punishment of every wrong deed that men do, the repeated declaration that anything can be gotten by anyone at any time by prayer." Du Bois became a member of the Communist Party and officially repudiated his U.S. citizenship at the end of his life, dying in his adopted country of Ghana. D. 1963.
More: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stori...
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0his...
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/dub...
Although he used some religious metaphor and expressions in some of his books and writings, Du Bois called himself a freethinker. In "On Christianity," a posthumously published essay, Du Bois critiqued the black church: "The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being decent and threatening them with the terrors of death and punishment. We are still trained to believe a good deal that is simply childish in theology. The outward and visible punishment of every wrong deed that men do, the repeated declaration that anything can be gotten by anyone at any time by prayer." Du Bois became a member of the Communist Party and officially repudiated his U.S. citizenship at the end of his life, dying in his adopted country of Ghana. D. 1963.
More: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stori...
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0his...
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/dub...
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 23, 2026
Wow! Download this essay, right now, and read it, all of you, every one, please. Immediately. I will say only this, for nothing more can I write than Du Bois himself said:
"...we have, too, a vast group of women of Negro blood who for strength of character, cleanness of soul, and unselfish devotion of purpose, is today easily the peer of any group of women in the civilized world. "
Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I grew up treated as if I were meant to be the property of every white male who passed by, and even had to physically defend myself, in my twenties, more than one time. Thank god and my dad, despite his violent temper, for correcting the stupidity of 'lady-like' behavior imposed on me by my negligent female biological unit, and thanks to Mr. du Bois for voicing the bestiality that is still visited upon the Black woman, even, or especially, those of us of lighter skin tone. We have had to defend our honor and our work ethics, and we have continued to strive to be better than the world thinks of us.
Read this essay, please, read it right now. It is freely available from The Project Gutenberg eBook as part of the book by du Bois with the title of Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil.
Read it, and marvel. We have had damnation heaped upon us, but we continue to strive to rise above it, and to lift up all of the human race along with us.
In Service to Humanity,
Nia
Injustice Delenda Est!
"...we have, too, a vast group of women of Negro blood who for strength of character, cleanness of soul, and unselfish devotion of purpose, is today easily the peer of any group of women in the civilized world. "
Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I grew up treated as if I were meant to be the property of every white male who passed by, and even had to physically defend myself, in my twenties, more than one time. Thank god and my dad, despite his violent temper, for correcting the stupidity of 'lady-like' behavior imposed on me by my negligent female biological unit, and thanks to Mr. du Bois for voicing the bestiality that is still visited upon the Black woman, even, or especially, those of us of lighter skin tone. We have had to defend our honor and our work ethics, and we have continued to strive to be better than the world thinks of us.
Read this essay, please, read it right now. It is freely available from The Project Gutenberg eBook as part of the book by du Bois with the title of Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil.
Read it, and marvel. We have had damnation heaped upon us, but we continue to strive to rise above it, and to lift up all of the human race along with us.
In Service to Humanity,
Nia
Injustice Delenda Est!
March 23, 2026
“All womanhood is hampered today because the world on which it is emerging is a world that tries to worship both virgins and mothers and in the end despises motherhood and despoils virgins”
“She must have knowledge. She must have the right of motherhood at her own discretion.”
“‘The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
“The world that wills to worship womankind studiously forgets its darker sisters.”
“Down in such mire has the black motherhood of this race struggled,—starving its own wailing offspring to nurse to the world their swaggering masters; welding for its children chains which affronted even the moral sense of an unmoral world.”
😮💨😮💨😮💨
“She must have knowledge. She must have the right of motherhood at her own discretion.”
“‘The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
“The world that wills to worship womankind studiously forgets its darker sisters.”
“Down in such mire has the black motherhood of this race struggled,—starving its own wailing offspring to nurse to the world their swaggering masters; welding for its children chains which affronted even the moral sense of an unmoral world.”
😮💨😮💨😮💨
February 5, 2026
While short, this essay highlights issues facing many women that continue to this day. While the language is harsher than acceptable today in some areas, not nearly enough has changed.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews