On Du Bois' "Black Reconstruction and the Racial Wage"

“Black Reconstruction and the Racial Wage” by W. E. B Du Bois is a powerful social commentary that explores ‘racism’ as a deliberate tactic implemented by the Industrial North to prevent a unified proletariat uprising in the United States. While Du Bois bases his arguments on Marxist ideologies, he expands on them by adding a factor that Marx failed to acknowledge during his time, ‘race’. So instead of ‘racism’ being an arbitrary, thoughtless, evil construct born from the minds of egotistical ‘whites’, Du Bois argues that it was a well thought out economic move by the capitalistic Industrial North. Thus, the evils of ‘racism’ that has usually been associated with ‘white folk’ in general is instead shifted towards a smaller group of capitalists, still ‘white folk’ nonetheless.

According to Marx, in order for a successful proletariat movement to occur the following pre-requisites were to have been satisfied:

a. The proletariat was united.

b. They shared a common exploiter.

c. They shared a common sentiment towards their exploitation.

d. They wanted things to change.

In the context of the United States at that period of time, Du Bois argues that while the working class (both blacks and whites) did indeed share a common exploiter (the industrial capitalist North) and did indeed wanted change that would make things better for them, they were divided amongst themselves on the basis of race, making it impossible for a successful labor movement to take place. Instead of directing their detest towards the common oppressor they directed it towards each other on the grounds of race. This leads Du Bois to state that “… the theory of race was supplemented by a carefully planned and slowly evolved method, which drove such a wedge between the white and black workers that there probably are not today in the world two groups of workers with practically identical interests who hate and fear each other so deeply and persistently and who are kept so far apart that neither sees anything of common interest.”

The Northern Industries were well aware of the potential dangers a united workers revolt could bring about that would undoubtedly hinder their interests in efficiency and profit. In accordance to the economic principle of efficiency through which output is maximized while minimizing input, their objective was to keep wages for the white workers low, and the wages for the Black workers lower. If these two groups were somehow to unite they could potentially halt the process of production until their demands of higher wages, better benefits, etc. were met. This was a perceived potential threat that the Northern Industries countered by fueling fires of ‘racial’ discontent. On the pre-existing grounds of historical differences between these two races they added another element to secure their aversion to each other. Du Bois says that they “compensated the low wage earning whites with a sort of public and psychological wage. They were given public deference and titles of courtesy because they were white” in contrast to Blacks who only had the history of oppression under their name. Furthermore, even poor whites were allowed to mingle as equals with whites of higher classes creating a sense of ‘public facility’ that added to their sense if entitlement of belonging to a ‘superior race’. So while the whites, poor or rich were put upon a pedestal of respect, the blacks were treated as second-class citizens. They were instead ostracized and given minimal opportunities that left them with fewer means to succeed. Even the so-called neutral media had “newspapers specialized on news that flattered the poor whites and almost utterly ignored the Negro except in crime and ridicule”. Somehow that sounds awfully familiar.

Thus, when dissatisfaction did eventually arise with their low wages, the whites wasted no time turning towards the Blacks to blame for their misfortunes. The White Man saw the Black Man entering the labor force as a direct threat to the menial wage he was earning. While, proletariat movements are usually directed towards the oppressor, this divided ‘proletariat movement’ was directed towards one another forever eliminating the possibility of a successful workers revolt in the United States that would have benefited both races. This of course was what the Northern Industries had anticipated. They successfully attained their goal of keeping costs low and maximizing output. As Du Bois points out, “The result of this was that the wages of bother the classes could be kept low, the whites fearing to be supplanted by Negro labor, the Negro always being threatened by the substitution of white labor.”

Du Bois emphasizes on the fact that there have been numerous attempts to make these struggles look like they were racially driven, but in reality he argues, everything that happened was purely for economic reasons. The racial struggles and conflicts according to Du Bois had nothing to do with race in reality at all. It was “just people trying to secure a living wage” in the face of a masterfully constructed fake racial environment.

This is a very sad reminder of the sacrifices many innocent people have had to make with their lives and their well-being for the sake of a few on their crusade for profit maximization. Similar trends can be seen germinating around us today escaping our sight as they too are masterfully intertwined within the numerous networks of social problems that offer to act as scape-goats. The mother of all problems however camouflages itself on the walls of complex structures and personalities totally evading our grasp while we debate on its effects and not the source. “It is what it is…” and as Du Bois said, “ ‘It’ was a triumph of men who in their effort to replace equality with caste and to build inordinate wealth on a foundation of abject poverty have succeeded in killing democracy, art and religion.”