Extract
Introduction: Germany on his mind--'Das neue Vaterland'.
The year 1888 was an important one for W. E. B. Du Bois. He was chosen valedictorian of his class at Fisk University in Tennessee, and also was admitted to Harvard University for further education, a goal he had desired for many years. What is surprising is that his thoughts turned toward Germany at least twice in this critical year of his life. First, he delivered his commencement speech on the 73-year-old Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of the relatively young German Empire. (1) Secondly, he wrote a brief essay in German, apparently for his own edification, addressed to German immigrants who were flocking to the U.S. in unprecedented numbers. (2) What led Germany to preoccupy his thoughts in 1888 is not clear. At secondary school in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois followed the advice of his teacher, Frank Hosmer, and studied the classical languages, Greek and Latin, that were then required for admission by many universities. At Fisk he chose to...
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