This classic treatise by W. E. B. Du Bois (1869-1963), the most important African American leader of the first half of the twentieth century and the cofounder of the NAACP, presents a brief history of Africa and people of African descent. To appreciate this pioneering work, published in 1915, it is important to recall its historical context. At the start of the last century, most whites had no appreciation of African Americans as fellow human beings worthy of dignity or as inheritors of a rich and varied culture. Faced with this seemingly insurmountable wall of racism, Du Bois's stance against the injustice of the time takes on heroic proportions. Through his writings he hoped to dispel the vast ignorance about black people that fed the racism of most whites. The Negro remains valuable to this day as a ground-breaking work. In an age of colonialism and blatant discrimination, Du Bois succeeded in proving that black people were inheritors of a proud cultural legacy and a long history. He thus laid the foundation for later generations of scholars. This edition is complemented by an informative introduction by Kenneth W. Goings, professor and chair of African-American and African Studies at The Ohio State University.