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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, a 1912 novel by James Weldon Johnson, is a fictional autobiography which was originally published anonymously. It chronicles the intricacies of racial identity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the life of its biracial narrator. The book portrays his journey through America's color lines, from his attendance of a black college in Florida to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the suburbs of the Northeast, and a visit to Europe. The author employs places, character, and incidents from his own life....

The Reverend Joseph Julius Jackson was an African American preacher who published The History of the Black Man in 1921, a book which covers the history of the African people from Ethiopia and Egypt. Rev. Jackson believed that a lack of historical knowledge by the Afro American community about their past and origins has undermined their pride, and that a better knowledge of the contribution of the black man to civilization would ameliorate the situation. 

First published in 1789, this autobiography of Olaudah Equiano comprises a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel tale, and spiritual journey. It recounts Equiano's time as a slave, and chronicles his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the Bible, and his eventual success in gaining his freedom.

In this work, Du Bois makes a case for the critical role of education, outlining the limiting development of Southern education. He criticises the vision of Booker T. Washington and calls for an education that encourages aspiration, that sets lofty ideals and seeks as an end culture and character.

W. E. B. DuBois wrote this essay for The Atlantic Monthly just two years after becoming the first black man to earn a PhD from Harvard. An author, historian, and civil-rights activist, DuBois helped found the NAACP, wrote or edited 36 books, and published more than 100 articles. 

A Negro Schoolmaster in the New South was first published as an article in Atlantic Magazine in 1899. It is a narrative of Du Bois' experiences as a schoolmaster in a rural black community and of his return to the community for a short visit 10 years later. Du Bois placed the highest value on the education of African Americans.

This collection of short stories tells the tales of legendary events and heroes. Historical figures include Alexander the Great, Kings Alfred and Canute, Doctor Goldsmith, Julius Ceasar, William Tell, and George Washington. 

The great civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois argued that agitation was a necessary evil to reveal the evils of injustice. Agitation does not mean aggravation, but aggravation calls for agitation in order that a remedy may be found. 

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano was one of the first widely-read slave narratives. Eight editions were printed during the author's lifetime, and it was translated into Dutch and German. The narrative appears in a variety of styles and describes Equiano's time spent in enslavement, documenting his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the Bible, and his eventual success in gaining his own freedom. 

The Memoir of Pierre Toussaint is Hannah Farnham Sawyer Lee's account of the life of Toussaint, who was born a slave in Haiti. He was eventually granted emancipation, and lived in New York. Sawyer Lee, born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, was a popular author of biographies and novels.  

Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an influential African American writer of fiction at the turn of the 20th century; his biographical work on Frederick Douglass was thus an exception. The book begins with Douglass’ birth in slavery and covers escape to New York. It culminates in Douglass’ life as a free man and lecturer on the antislavery circuit. 

Olaudah Equiano's autobiography is a slave narrative which attracted a wide readership. It reveals many aspects of life in the 18th century. The book also shows the many the perils of seafaring, describing incidents of near drownings, shipwrecks, and collisions. 

Herman Melville wrote the 1855 novella Benito Cereno, a story about a revolt on a slaver ship, the San Dominick, off the coast of Chile in 1799. It is an adventure story which highlights the cruelty of slavery and the hopeless desperation that slaves experience. The tale begins when Captain Delano of the whaling ship Bachelor's Delight spots another ship approaching, floating listlessly with torn sails.  

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story by Herman Melville, first serialized in a magazine in 1853, and reprinted with minor edits in The Piazza Tales in 1856. Set in the mid-19th century on Wall Street, the story tells of a lawyer who employs Bartleby, a new clerk, who, after an initial stint of hard work, refuses to perform any task required of him, with the words, "I would prefer not to." The narrator attempts to reason with Bartleby to no avail, and Bartleby starts living at the office. 

Elihu Root (1845-1937) was a lawyer and statesman who served as the Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt and as Secretary of War under Roosevelt and President William McKinley. He emphasized three qualities of Lincoln’s in this work: sympathy for all his fellow men, a sense of proportion or a sense of humor, and subordination of himself to his cause. Abraham Lincoln was dedicated to preserving the Union and ending slavery. 

In this article that appeared in the December 1866 issue of The Atlantic, Frederick Douglass states that no republic is safe that tolerates a privileged class or denies to any of its citizens equal rights and equal means to maintain them. The two main themes are Douglass’ criticism of President Jackson and his urgent call to extend voting rights to African Americans. 

In this essay, W. E. B. Du Bois raises questions such as: What is the real meaning of race? And what has, in the past, been the law of race development? He describes the American Negro Academy, which aimed to be the epitome and expression of the intellect of African Americans. He concludes by outlining a proposed creed for the Academy. 

Thoreau gives an account of three canoe and hiking journeys - by himself and with others - through the mostly uninhabited forests of Maine in the 1850s. Identifying birds, trees and plants by their botanical as well as their common names, he also records the Indian names of lakes, rivers and plants. He investigates the connections between waterways and trails, and provides detail on camping, fishing and hunting in the woods, using whatever is at hand. Extolling the beauty of the wilds that he encounters, Thorough’s narrative is also imbued with elements of his philosophy.

Members of the Niagara Movement held the idea that all people, regardless of race, were created equal. Du Bois believed that racial progress in American society would only occur if African-Americans were guaranteed the same political and legal rights as whites. In the Niagara Movement speech, he states: "We claim for ourselves every single right that belongs to a freeborn American, political, civil and social." 

In his letter to President Wilson, W.E.B. DuBois points out that for the first time since the emancipation of slaves the government passes into the hands of the party which a half century before fought desperately to keep slaves as real estate in the eyes of the law. He states that a determination on the part of intelligent and decent Americans to see absolute equality of all citizens before the law, the civil rights of all citizens and absolute impartiality in the granting of the right to vote are the bedrock of a just solution of the rights of man in the USA.