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The Talented Tenth
The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races. Now the training of men is a difficult and intricate task. Its technique is a matter for educational experts, but its object is for the vision of seers. If we make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but not necessarily men; if we make technical skill the object of education, we may possess artisans but not, in nature, men. Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools-intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was and is, and of the relation of men to it-this is the curriculum of that Higher Education which must underlie true life. On this foundation we may build bread winning, skill of hand and quickness of brain, with never a fear lest the child and man mistake the means of living for the object of life. If this be true-and who can deny it-three tasks lay before me; first to show from the past that the Talented Tenth as they have risen among American Negroes have been worthy of leadership; secondly, to show how these men may be educated and developed; and thirdly, to show their relation to the Negro problem.
30 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2011
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About the author
W.E.B. Du Bois
607 books1,485 followersIn 1868, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (pronounced 'doo-boyz') was born in Massachusetts. He attended Fisk College in Nashville, then earned his BA in 1890 and his MS in 1891 from Harvard. Du Bois studied at the University of Berlin, then earned his doctorate in history from Harvard in 1894. He taught economics and history at Atlanta University from 1897-1910. The Souls of Black Folk (1903) made his name, in which he urged black Americans to stand up for their educational and economic rights. Du Bois was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and edited the NAACP's official journal, "Crisis," from 1910 to 1934. Du Bois turned "Crisis" into the foremost black literary journal. The black nationalist expanded his interests to global concerns, and is called the "father of Pan-Africanism" for organizing international black congresses.
Although he used some religious metaphor and expressions in some of his books and writings, Du Bois called himself a freethinker. In "On Christianity," a posthumously published essay, Du Bois critiqued the black church: "The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being decent and threatening them with the terrors of death and punishment. We are still trained to believe a good deal that is simply childish in theology. The outward and visible punishment of every wrong deed that men do, the repeated declaration that anything can be gotten by anyone at any time by prayer." Du Bois became a member of the Communist Party and officially repudiated his U.S. citizenship at the end of his life, dying in his adopted country of Ghana. D. 1963.
More: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stori...
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0his...
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/dub...
Although he used some religious metaphor and expressions in some of his books and writings, Du Bois called himself a freethinker. In "On Christianity," a posthumously published essay, Du Bois critiqued the black church: "The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being decent and threatening them with the terrors of death and punishment. We are still trained to believe a good deal that is simply childish in theology. The outward and visible punishment of every wrong deed that men do, the repeated declaration that anything can be gotten by anyone at any time by prayer." Du Bois became a member of the Communist Party and officially repudiated his U.S. citizenship at the end of his life, dying in his adopted country of Ghana. D. 1963.
More: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stori...
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0his...
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/dub...
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November 26, 2017
Read for a research paper.
'The Talented Tenth' is an essay by W.E.B. Du Bois that popularized the idea of a 'talented tenth'. White philanthropists debated the best way to educate and empower African Americans, and suggested the idea of a talented tenth; they said there should be a classical education provided for the top ten percent of African Americans, teaching them to become leaders of the community.
While I personally could not disagree with the idea more, it is a historically relevant idea.
'The Talented Tenth' is an essay by W.E.B. Du Bois that popularized the idea of a 'talented tenth'. White philanthropists debated the best way to educate and empower African Americans, and suggested the idea of a talented tenth; they said there should be a classical education provided for the top ten percent of African Americans, teaching them to become leaders of the community.
While I personally could not disagree with the idea more, it is a historically relevant idea.
December 6, 2017
A thoughtful meditation on race and the object of education. A must-read for aspiring educators as well as anyone interested in racial justice.
February 7, 2023
This essay came as a bit of a shock, given how much my Pre-Engineering classmates and I were told that we had a responsibility, as part of the talented tenth, to give back to the community. The phrase was also part of my grandparents' generational idea of Black uplift, and being "a credit to the race." So, seeing just how men-only and elite focused this work is should never have shocked me, but it did. Every assembly started/ended with a reminder of the Dunbar legacy, in DC, and Lift Every Voice and Sing, as a reminder that we had a duty to give back, and to lead. But it was never this strikingly clear just how elitist that idea could be, until I finally read the essay that popularized the phrase, but which I was again shocked to learn that Du Bois did not originate. Nevertheless, much of what he said remains valid, even to this day, sadly.
Just a few of his comments, and mine, as I read the essay (via The Internet Archive):
"There can be but one answer : The best and most capable of their youth
must be schooled in the colleges and universities of the land. "
No, this is not current popular grass-roots ideology, but is it true that anyone can do quantum physics? Every person capable of grasping higher concepts must be encouraged to do so, for the benefit of all human potential.
47.62% " ...it placed before the eyes of almost every Negro child an attainable ideal. "
On the importance of teachers as role models...
59.52% " Negro teachers have
been discouraged by starvation wages and the
idea that any training will do for a black
teacher."
This includes the still low expectations for us by most white people.
Even to this day.
Pretty abrupt end to the essay, and it makes a devastating point.
Please read it.
Just a few of his comments, and mine, as I read the essay (via The Internet Archive):
"There can be but one answer : The best and most capable of their youth
must be schooled in the colleges and universities of the land. "
No, this is not current popular grass-roots ideology, but is it true that anyone can do quantum physics? Every person capable of grasping higher concepts must be encouraged to do so, for the benefit of all human potential.
47.62% " ...it placed before the eyes of almost every Negro child an attainable ideal. "
On the importance of teachers as role models...
59.52% " Negro teachers have
been discouraged by starvation wages and the
idea that any training will do for a black
teacher."
This includes the still low expectations for us by most white people.
Even to this day.
Pretty abrupt end to the essay, and it makes a devastating point.
Please read it.
June 25, 2024
THE FAMOUS ESSAY, IN A “NO FRILLS” EDITION
William Edward Burghardt DuBois (1868-1963) was an American civil rights activist, sociologist, and historian, who was the first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard, and was a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University.
He begins this 1903 essay with the statement, “The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races… three tasks lay before me; first to show from the past that the Talented Tenth as they have risen among American Negroes have been worthy of leadership; secondly to show how these men may be educated and developed; and thirdly, to show their relation to the Negro problem… You misjudge us because you do not know us. From the very first it has been educated and intelligent of the Negro people that have led and elevated the mass, and the sole obstacles that nullified and retarded their efforts were slavery and race prejudice; for what is slavery but the legalized survival of the unfit and the nullification of the work of natural internal leadership?” (Pg. 2-3)
He observes, “From the very day that a Philadelphia colored man became the first subscriber to Garrison’s ‘Liberator,’ to the day when Negro soldiers, made the Emancipation Proclamation possible, black leaders worked shoulder to shoulder with white men in a movement, the success of which would have been impossible without them. There was Purvis and Remond, Pennington and Highland Garnett, Sojourner Truth and Alexander Crummel, and above all, Frederick Douglass---what would the abolition movement have been without them? They stood as living examples of the possibilities of the Negro race, their own hard experiences and well wrought culture said silently more than all the drawn periods of orators---they were the men who made American slavery impossible.” (Pg. 7)
He suggests, “A saving remnant continually shows itself in thrift and ability and character. Exceptional it is to be sure, but this is its chiefest promise; it shows the capability of Negro blood, well-educated, owners of homes, against the honor of whose womanhood no breath was ever raised, whose men occupy positions of trust and usefulness, and who, judged by any standard, have reached the full measure of the best type of modern European culture? Is it fair, is it decent, is it Christian to ignore these facts of the Negro problem, to belittle such aspiration, to nullify such leadership and seek to crush these people back into the mass out of which by toil and travail, they and their fathers have raised themselves?” (Pg. 9-10)
He states, “All men cannot go to college but some men must; every isolated group or nation must have its yeast, must have for the talented tenth few centers of training where men are not so mystified and befuddled by the hard and necessary toil of earning a living, as to have no aims higher than their bellies, and no God greater than Gold.” (Pg. 11)
He argues, “the college-bred Negro… ought to be, the group leaders, the man who sets the ideals of the community where he lives, directs its thoughts and heads its social movements. It need hardly be argued that the Negro people need social leadership more than most groups; that they have no traditions to fall back upon, no long established customs, no strong family ties, no well defined social classes. All these things must be slowly and painfully evolved. The preacher was, even before the war, the group leaders of the Negroes, and the church their greatest institution. Naturally this preacher was ignorant and often immoral, and the problem of replacing the older type by better educated has been a difficult one. Both by direct work and by direct influence on other preachers, and on congregations, the college-bred preacher has an opportunity for reformatory work and moral inspiration, the value of which cannot be overestimated.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “The main question, so far as the Southern Negro is concerned, is: What under the present circumstance, must a system of education do in order to raise the Negro as quickly as possible in the scale of civilization? The answer to this question seems to me clear: It must strengthen the Negro’s character, increase his knowledge and teach him to earn a living… If then we start out to train an ignorant and unskilled people with a heritage of bad habits, our system of training must set before itself two great aims---the one dealing with knowledge and character, the other part seeking to give the child the technical knowledge necessary for him to earn a living under the present circumstances.” (Pg. 19)
He acknowledges, “I would not deny, or for a moment seem to deny, the paramount necessity of teaching the Negro to work, and to work steadily and skillfully; or seem to depreciate in the slightest degree the important part industrial schools must play in the accomplishment of these ends, but I DO say, and insist upon it, that is it industrialism drunk with its vision of success, to imagine that its own work can be accomplished without providing for the training of broadly cultured men and women to teach its own teachers, and to teach the teachers of the public schools.” (Pg. 21)
He concludes, “Men of America, the problem is plain before you. Here is a race transplanted through the criminal foolishness of your fathers. Whether you like it or not the millions are here, and here they will remain. If you do not lift them up, they will pull you down. Education and work are the levers to uplift a people. Work alone will not do it, unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence. Education must not simply teach work---it must teach Life. The Talented Tenth of the Negro race must be made leaders of thought and missionaries of culture among their people. No others can do this work and Negro colleges must train men for it. The Negro race, like all other races, is going to be saved ty its exceptional men.” (Pg. 30)
This brief essay should be considered “must reading” for anyone studying African-American history.
William Edward Burghardt DuBois (1868-1963) was an American civil rights activist, sociologist, and historian, who was the first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard, and was a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University.
He begins this 1903 essay with the statement, “The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races… three tasks lay before me; first to show from the past that the Talented Tenth as they have risen among American Negroes have been worthy of leadership; secondly to show how these men may be educated and developed; and thirdly, to show their relation to the Negro problem… You misjudge us because you do not know us. From the very first it has been educated and intelligent of the Negro people that have led and elevated the mass, and the sole obstacles that nullified and retarded their efforts were slavery and race prejudice; for what is slavery but the legalized survival of the unfit and the nullification of the work of natural internal leadership?” (Pg. 2-3)
He observes, “From the very day that a Philadelphia colored man became the first subscriber to Garrison’s ‘Liberator,’ to the day when Negro soldiers, made the Emancipation Proclamation possible, black leaders worked shoulder to shoulder with white men in a movement, the success of which would have been impossible without them. There was Purvis and Remond, Pennington and Highland Garnett, Sojourner Truth and Alexander Crummel, and above all, Frederick Douglass---what would the abolition movement have been without them? They stood as living examples of the possibilities of the Negro race, their own hard experiences and well wrought culture said silently more than all the drawn periods of orators---they were the men who made American slavery impossible.” (Pg. 7)
He suggests, “A saving remnant continually shows itself in thrift and ability and character. Exceptional it is to be sure, but this is its chiefest promise; it shows the capability of Negro blood, well-educated, owners of homes, against the honor of whose womanhood no breath was ever raised, whose men occupy positions of trust and usefulness, and who, judged by any standard, have reached the full measure of the best type of modern European culture? Is it fair, is it decent, is it Christian to ignore these facts of the Negro problem, to belittle such aspiration, to nullify such leadership and seek to crush these people back into the mass out of which by toil and travail, they and their fathers have raised themselves?” (Pg. 9-10)
He states, “All men cannot go to college but some men must; every isolated group or nation must have its yeast, must have for the talented tenth few centers of training where men are not so mystified and befuddled by the hard and necessary toil of earning a living, as to have no aims higher than their bellies, and no God greater than Gold.” (Pg. 11)
He argues, “the college-bred Negro… ought to be, the group leaders, the man who sets the ideals of the community where he lives, directs its thoughts and heads its social movements. It need hardly be argued that the Negro people need social leadership more than most groups; that they have no traditions to fall back upon, no long established customs, no strong family ties, no well defined social classes. All these things must be slowly and painfully evolved. The preacher was, even before the war, the group leaders of the Negroes, and the church their greatest institution. Naturally this preacher was ignorant and often immoral, and the problem of replacing the older type by better educated has been a difficult one. Both by direct work and by direct influence on other preachers, and on congregations, the college-bred preacher has an opportunity for reformatory work and moral inspiration, the value of which cannot be overestimated.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “The main question, so far as the Southern Negro is concerned, is: What under the present circumstance, must a system of education do in order to raise the Negro as quickly as possible in the scale of civilization? The answer to this question seems to me clear: It must strengthen the Negro’s character, increase his knowledge and teach him to earn a living… If then we start out to train an ignorant and unskilled people with a heritage of bad habits, our system of training must set before itself two great aims---the one dealing with knowledge and character, the other part seeking to give the child the technical knowledge necessary for him to earn a living under the present circumstances.” (Pg. 19)
He acknowledges, “I would not deny, or for a moment seem to deny, the paramount necessity of teaching the Negro to work, and to work steadily and skillfully; or seem to depreciate in the slightest degree the important part industrial schools must play in the accomplishment of these ends, but I DO say, and insist upon it, that is it industrialism drunk with its vision of success, to imagine that its own work can be accomplished without providing for the training of broadly cultured men and women to teach its own teachers, and to teach the teachers of the public schools.” (Pg. 21)
He concludes, “Men of America, the problem is plain before you. Here is a race transplanted through the criminal foolishness of your fathers. Whether you like it or not the millions are here, and here they will remain. If you do not lift them up, they will pull you down. Education and work are the levers to uplift a people. Work alone will not do it, unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence. Education must not simply teach work---it must teach Life. The Talented Tenth of the Negro race must be made leaders of thought and missionaries of culture among their people. No others can do this work and Negro colleges must train men for it. The Negro race, like all other races, is going to be saved ty its exceptional men.” (Pg. 30)
This brief essay should be considered “must reading” for anyone studying African-American history.
November 22, 2020
Utterly compelling case, implicitly (and occasionally explicitly) contra Booker T. Washington outlining a complete strategy for educating African Americans in the south. Some great historiography of the Black contributions to the American revolution and the abolition movement, building toward a comprehensive case for the need for Black colleges, complete with statistics and charts. Du Bois's philosophy of education is articulated in brief, and my heart was glad when two of the six of "the important Negro colleges" were schools started with the help of northern Baptists through the American Baptist Home Mission Society (Shaw University and Leland University). I had never heard the phrase "a log of wood with a boy at one end and Mark Hopkins at the other" so I had to go look that one up (a case for 1-on-1 education). Du Bois is brilliant, witty, and a delight to read. This short work pulls together in one place a number of important strands in his thought, and devastates (I think) Booker T. Washington's strange resistance to encouraging Blacks to get a high level of college education. (Originally published alongside essays from Washington and others in The Negro Problem.)
August 5, 2021
Hi,
I hope all is progressing well.
The Talented Tenth by W.E.B. DuBois is an insightful-instructional piece communicating needs for human development and the integral role proper education holds toward properly stimulating humans toward being aware whole individuals fully supporting positive-social developments from within (as humans) throughout (toward and within societies). I buy the text as a part of a learning process for research purposes. W.E.B. DuBois deliberates conditions of humanity with distinct though very inclusive lenses observing African-American developments in conjunction with educational and societal parameters — all of which I consider very important toward further recognizing particular roots so as to better create/improve educational as well as societal parameters for capable-good individuals willing to succeed.
Onward and Upward,
Kevin Dufresne
www.Piatures.com
IG: @Dufreshest
I hope all is progressing well.
The Talented Tenth by W.E.B. DuBois is an insightful-instructional piece communicating needs for human development and the integral role proper education holds toward properly stimulating humans toward being aware whole individuals fully supporting positive-social developments from within (as humans) throughout (toward and within societies). I buy the text as a part of a learning process for research purposes. W.E.B. DuBois deliberates conditions of humanity with distinct though very inclusive lenses observing African-American developments in conjunction with educational and societal parameters — all of which I consider very important toward further recognizing particular roots so as to better create/improve educational as well as societal parameters for capable-good individuals willing to succeed.
Onward and Upward,
Kevin Dufresne
www.Piatures.com
IG: @Dufreshest
August 22, 2025
In this essay, W.E.B. Dubois crafts an argument that the talented tenth of African Americans are meant to rise in ranks through classical liberal education. The White elite were worried about the educated African American infiltrating their systems. He argues that a common and architectural school education should not be before training African Americans in higher education to create the best teachers and leaders, because it would be a waste of money.
Two memorable quotes that I think capture his views are these:
"It is the trained, living human soul, cultivated and strengthened by long study and thought, that breathes the real breath of life into boys and girls and makes them human, whether they be black or white, Greek, Russian, or American."
"Education and work are levers to uplift a people. Work alone will not do it, unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence. Education must not simply teach work; it must teach life.
Two memorable quotes that I think capture his views are these:
"It is the trained, living human soul, cultivated and strengthened by long study and thought, that breathes the real breath of life into boys and girls and makes them human, whether they be black or white, Greek, Russian, or American."
"Education and work are levers to uplift a people. Work alone will not do it, unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence. Education must not simply teach work; it must teach life.
July 19, 2020
This is an essay that was written in 1903 that was published in the Negro Problem. The phrase the "talented tenth" was used by WE.B. Dubois to describe the probability of one in ten black men becoming leaders of their race by continuing their education, writing books, or becoming directly involved in social change. Among the talented tenth during this time included such people David Walker, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass.
September 13, 2020
Du Bois is on another plane. Insightful, full of quips and evocative imagery, he presents his arguments as beautiful and irrefutable. If I ever go into education, I’ll read a lot more Du Bois; and if I ever want to read good writing, I’ll read more Du Bois.
The Souls if Black Folk is shelved for post-grad.
The Souls if Black Folk is shelved for post-grad.
May 10, 2022
Great read, but the philosophy is a bit flawed. While DuBois proposes an interesting hypothesis, there isn't consideration for the possibility of the "talented tenth" acting as a buffer class for white supremacy. Elitist, but an interesting theory nonetheless.
July 1, 2025
Quick Read
Great, esoteric message that should resonate within all American communities. DuBois captures the essence of education versus explaining education's importance superficially.
Great, esoteric message that should resonate within all American communities. DuBois captures the essence of education versus explaining education's importance superficially.
February 28, 2022
Always wanted to read this book; glad I did.
November 28, 2014
W.E.B Dubois tackles problems that emerged as African Americans began to settle into the Westernized Culture after slavery. He scaffolds practices that should be implemented to make the culture successful in the long run. In his words many in the culture were ignorant and the only way to remedy this would be targeting the top ten percent of the race. He sites the lack of heritage, traditions, and no long established customs as key problems with attaining prosperity. The black church is synonymous with education as it is the basis for socializing the black race morally and intellectually according to Dubois.
Pros, the book is relevant in todays times. It provides a look into the eyes of the african american community from an insiders perspective. The steps are attainable and realistic. Con, the subject matter is quite taboo and I would doubt this could be used "publicly" at this time. Readers from other cultures must understand that there are many stereotypical comments within the book that do not hold true to all african americans, as in the hands of the wrong person could be quite dangerous.
It is a short read and informative. This is a great place to start when discussing minority population issues with education and socialization.
Pros, the book is relevant in todays times. It provides a look into the eyes of the african american community from an insiders perspective. The steps are attainable and realistic. Con, the subject matter is quite taboo and I would doubt this could be used "publicly" at this time. Readers from other cultures must understand that there are many stereotypical comments within the book that do not hold true to all african americans, as in the hands of the wrong person could be quite dangerous.
It is a short read and informative. This is a great place to start when discussing minority population issues with education and socialization.
January 30, 2016
What a powerful classic in the academia world and dear to all African Americans who share his prospective. I had the pleasure to do a compare/contrast thesis on his view versus Booker T. Washington on the rise of the African-American race. Professor DuBois was considered one of the most influenced person of his time. I believe this book shares a deep concern which still sits with the African-American race today. I appreciate how DuBois outlines each issue and the why. This is a definite "must have" if you're studying in the African-American Experience or similar arenas.
Stone Michaels, Author of Defining Atlas
Stone Michaels, Author of Defining Atlas
April 9, 2016
I first read this book in a black studies class taught by scholar, Dr. Waller at LeMoyne-Owen College many, many, many moons ago.
This is still a must read even in the 21st century because it reflects the errors of how we are failing as a people to select "the talented tenth" to pull African-American up as a race.
Some felt that 'the talented tenth' separated us as a people, I propose that it selects the most qualified and worthy educated of our race and pull us all up as a people and reiterates that all 'black lives matter! We need strong and compassionate leaders to heave us up and stop all the "crabs in a barrel acts!"
This is still a must read even in the 21st century because it reflects the errors of how we are failing as a people to select "the talented tenth" to pull African-American up as a race.
Some felt that 'the talented tenth' separated us as a people, I propose that it selects the most qualified and worthy educated of our race and pull us all up as a people and reiterates that all 'black lives matter! We need strong and compassionate leaders to heave us up and stop all the "crabs in a barrel acts!"
March 2, 2020
W.E.B. Du Bois sets a methodology by which the descendants of the Original Americans, the mislabeled Negroes/Coloreds/Mulattos - many of which were freeman, others captured and sold into slavery and then born into slavery and intermixed with Europeans and Africans and others being slaveholders themselves - were to navigate the legal, economic and social landmines set in place by the immigrant European Colonizers.
July 12, 2019
Still a Relevant work
Had some concerns and disagreement with the language and ideology of the "Talented tenth" but it is a practical thought. This work is still relevant to my feelings on "trade schools" being encouraged to at-risk black youth who I would argue need exposure to the college experience in order to be transformed as thinkers.
Had some concerns and disagreement with the language and ideology of the "Talented tenth" but it is a practical thought. This work is still relevant to my feelings on "trade schools" being encouraged to at-risk black youth who I would argue need exposure to the college experience in order to be transformed as thinkers.
February 19, 2019
This was a good short read of W.E.B Dubois' break down of what the talented tent h should be, and how we can properly train the talented tenth. It is vastly different from the general ideal of the talented tenth being the snobby upper negro class
January 4, 2018
Very interesting story about the life of a great man.
September 28, 2023
"Education and work are the levers to uplift a people.
Work alone will not do it unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence."
Talented_Tenth.pdf
Work alone will not do it unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence."
Talented_Tenth.pdf
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