ABSTRACT
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois took up the battle for the full education of black people in America. This paper is a review and analysis of the major ideas of Du Bois on education as these evolved during his academic career. When carefully delineated, his views coalesce around his concerns for and the development of well-educated teachers and leaders for the race as well as the primacy of African-American history and culture in the education of black people. His ideas on higher education and his resolve to assure its availability to African Americans constitute the central focus of his speeches and writing on education. Just as critical in the evolution of Du Bois's ideas and work in education was the faith he placed in liberal education and its emphasis upon the attainment of ideals and the understanding of the higher aims of life, which he believed were more important than making money.
