The color line

Paper details:

This week, we discussed three African-American authors who overcame their circumstances to advocate for civil rights for all. Washington, Du Bois, and Hopkins all came from different backgrounds and had different solutions to the “problem of the color line.” Washington was born into slavery; Du Bois was born free and had an exceptional education and career; and Hopkins made a career out of creating literary spaces for black writers and black women. The question for this week has two parts: (1) From what you know of each author’s background, how do you think their circumstances affected their writing and their proposed solutions to the “problem of the color line”? (3-4 sentences minimum) and (2) Consider each author from the standpoint of class: do you think that the authors’ early circumstances, approaches toward labor, or social circles influenced their proposed solution to the “problem of the color line”? (3-4 sentences minimum)