3.7 The Color Line & Double Consciousness in American Society - PDF

UNIT 3 LESSON 7: THE COLOR LINE AND DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY W.E.B. DU BOIS  SOURCE WORK Annotate the Texts: ○ Highlight significant words or phrases that reveal the authors' central messages. ○ Identify each...

UNIT 3 LESSON 7: THE COLOR LINE AND DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY W.E.B. DU BOIS  SOURCE WORK Annotate the Texts: ○ Highlight significant words or phrases that reveal the authors' central messages. ○ Identify each author’s tone - the author's attitude or feelings about the subject matter and audience. Answer online: ○ In We Wear the Mask: What emotions are hidden behind the "mask"? What does the mask symbolize? ○ In The Forethought: What does Du Bois mean by "the problem of the color line"? How does he describe life within "the Veil"?  GROUNDBREAKING TEXTS Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” - 1895 ○ Explores how African Americans concealed their pain behind a façade to survive in a racist society. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk - 1903 ○ Examines Black identity and the effects of systemic racism in post-slavery America.  KEY THEMES The Mask & The Veil: ○ Symbols of racial separation, invisibility, and the barriers to full participation in society. ○ Highlight the struggle for self-improvement despite discrimination. The Color Line: ○ Refers to the pervasive racial discrimination and legal segregation that persisted after slavery. ○ Du Bois identified it as "the problem of the 20th century," shaping every aspect of Black life. Double Consciousness: ○ Describes the internal conflict of seeing oneself through both personal and societal (often racist) lenses. ○ Allowed African Americans to critique inequality and fight for justice while navigating oppression.  IMPACT These works illuminated Black humanity and resilience while confronting the enduring effects of racism at the turn of the 20th century. They sparked dialogue about identity, agency, and the fight for equality in America. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR