Process Paper

For our National History Day project, our group researched the writings of W.E.B. Du
Bois. We were originally introduced to this topic at the Temple University Urban Archives,
where we came across an edition of The Crisis, the magazine that Du Bois chiefly edited while
working at the NAACP. Looking through the articles, we were impressed at how Du Bois fought
against racial discrimination, and as we continued to conduct research on Du Bois, we began to
see his importance and influence in the struggle for African American civil rights, even though
he died before the Civil Rights Movement.
We conducted much of our research as a group, visiting archives and libraries. At the
Temple University Urban Archives, we found numerous editorials of The Crisis. At the
University of Pennsylvania Archives, we utilized various newspaper clippings about Du Bois'
books as well as his views. We found many of the books of Du Bois in libraries, which gave us
insight to the thoughts and opinions of Du Bois. Both The Crisis and the books written by Du
Bois were invaluable to us as primary sources, representing what he was conveying to the public.
Thus we have quoted these books throughout the website, as nothing can express the views of
Du Bois better.
We chose a website to communicate the importance of W.E.B. Du Bois, as a website is
the most interactive category, and allows for great creativity through a combination of text,
images, and video. These three together form a medium that is able to express the significance of
the works of Du Bois. In addition, the website would be accessible even after the end of National
History Day as a resource on Du Bois available to all. Lastly, a website is a great method of
conveying information, as it highlights important points.

The writings of Du Bois lobbied for immediate social and economic equality in the
United States for African Americans. He presented it as unjustifiable that blacks were still
discriminated against and denied their full rights as citizens. He represented the intellectual
population of African Americans, and exerted great influence on them through The Crisis and his
books. Ultimately, Du Bois works led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, where many of the
reforms he fought for were implemented. The content on our website is organized according to
this years theme, including buttons in our main menu leading to Du Bois exploration of new
ideas relating to blacks, his encounters with opposers and supporters of his ideas, and his
methods of exchanging ideas with the public and its results. These pages are further divided to
focus on specific topics within these broad categories. This subdivision highlights the ways in
which our topic may be analyzed in relation to exploration, encounter, and exchange.