The Talented Tenth

The essay assumes that a college education is vital for societal leadership. How would you explain Du Bois’s view of leadership? Why is a college education required to be a leader?

Du Bois demonstrates that the majority of the talented tenth are teachers. To what extent are teachers considered leaders in American culture today?

Du Bois states that he would not “quarrel as to just what the university of the Negro should teach or how it should teach it.” If we accept the argument that the college education of the talented tenth is a requirement for the advancement of African Americans, what should the curriculum of such education look like?

Du Bois’s essay was written in 1903. Is his argument for educating the talented tenth still valid? Why or why not?

Given the essay’s hierarchical view of society, how do you think Du Bois would view the greatly expanded availability of higher education today? Would he view this as a positive development?

At one point, Du Bois argues that industrial education (manual work occupations) may be differentiated from trade school education (better class artisans). Is such a distinction still useful?

What does Du Bois mean by “survival of the fittest” and “natural selection?” Is Social Darwinism a valid lens through which to view and examine social reality?

Toward the end of the essay, Du Bois writes that “a race transplanted through the criminal foolishness of your fathers” is here “whether you like it or not.” He adds, “If you do not lift them up, they will pull you down.” Has the promise of higher education since 1903 helped improve African American society?