Named source · 1897

The Conservation of Races Quotes by W. E. B. Du Bois: Context & Meanings

3 quotations linked to The Conservation of Races by or associated with W. E. B. Du Bois, with source notes, explanations and related topics.

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1897 American Negro Academy occasional paper

Topics and ideas

Race identity, history, group organization, ideals, human likeness, solidarity and the possibility of human brotherhood.

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“The ideal of human brotherhood has become a practical possibility.”

W. E. B. Du Bois

Meaning & context

Human solidarity is treated not merely as abstract sentiment but as an achievable political and social aim requiring organized effort and mutual recognition.

Source details

The Conservation of Races, closing programmatic resolutions. The sentence belongs to Du Bois’s 1897 argument about race organization and human brotherhood; period racial concepts remain historical context rather than modern science.

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“The Academy should be impartial in conduct; while it aims to exalt the people it should aim to do so by truth—not by lies, by honesty—not by flattery.”

W. E. B. Du Bois

Meaning & context

Du Bois argues that collective advancement requires truthful self-assessment rather than flattering narratives, making honesty part of responsible institutional leadership.

Source details

The Conservation of Races, discussion of the American Negro Academy’s conduct; Project Gutenberg #5685. The line is a direct institutional principle within Du Bois’s 1897 address, while the essay’s period racial classifications remain historically contextualized.

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“We believe that the second great step toward a better adjustment of the relations between races, should be a more impartial selection of ability in the economic and intellectual world, and a greater respect for personal liberty and worth, regardless of race.”

W. E. B. Du Bois

Meaning & context

Du Bois connects fair recognition of ability with personal liberty and worth, arguing that racial identity should not erase an individual’s claim to equitable consideration.

Source details

The Conservation of Races, Academy Creed, point 6; Project Gutenberg #5685. This is Du Bois’s own programmatic statement. The essay’s broader nineteenth-century racial theory remains historical context and is not presented as current biological science.

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1897 American Negro Academy occasional paper

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