Biography of WEB DuBoisWEB Du Bois was born a free man in his small village of Great Barington, Massachusetts, three years after the Civil War. For generations, the Du Bois family had been an accepted part of the community since before his great-grandfather fought in the American Revolution. Early on, Du Bois was made aware of his African heritage, through the ancient songs his grandmother had taught him. This knowledge set him apart from his New England community, with a lineage shrouded in mystery, in stark contrast to the precisely told history of the Western world. This difference would be the basis of his desire to change the way African Americans coexisted in America. As a student, Du Bois was considered something of a prodigy who excelled beyond the abilities of his white peers. He found work as a correspondent for New York newspapers and slowly began to realize the inhibitions of social boundaries that he would have to observe every step of the way. When racism tried to rob him of his pride and dignity, he became more determined to ensure that society recognized his achievements. Clearly, Du Bois showed great promise, as did some influential members of his community. Although Du Bois dreamed of attending Harvard, these influential individuals arranged for his education at Fisk University in Nashville. His experiences in Fisk changed his life and he discovered his destiny as a leader of the black struggle to free his people from oppression. At Fisk, Du Bois met many sons and daughters of former slaves, who felt the pain of oppression and shared his sense of cultural and spiritual tradition. In the South, he saw his people brought to a status far from slavery, and he saw them terrorized at the ballot box. He taught school during the summers in eastern Tennessee and saw the suffering firsthand. He then decided to dedicate his life to fighting the terrible racial oppression that oppressed blacks, both economically and politically. Du Bois's determination was rewarded with a scholarship to Harvard, where he began the first scientific sociological studies in the United States. He felt that through science he could dispel the irrational prejudices and ignorance that prevented racial equality. He continued to create great advances in the study of race relations, but oppression continued with increased segregation laws, lynching, and terrorist tactics..