W.E.B. Du Bois became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1895. He received his Ph.D. in history and sociology on April 23, 1895.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Fisk, Du Bois enrolled at Harvard University to pursue a graduate degree. He received his master’s degree in 1890 and began working as an instructor at Wilberforce University in Ohio the following year. In 1895, he completed his doctoral dissertation on “The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870” and became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
After completing his doctorate, W.E.B. Du Bois remained at Wilberforce University as an instructor until 1896 when he became involved with the Niagara Movement — an organization that advocated civil rights for African Americans — and began writing for various newspapers including The Boston Guardian and The New York Evening Post . In 1897, he moved to Atlanta where he was offered a position teaching economics at Atlanta University; however, upon arriving in Georgia, Du Bois found that there were no available positions for him so he took on several different jobs including teaching history at Morehouse College.
Du Bois left Atlanta for New York City in 1910 where he served as editor for The Crisis magazine for more than 30 years until 1934 when he was fired by the NAACP because of his radical political views and outspoken criticism of organized religion (he was an atheist).
