The Souls of Black Folk is a 1903 book by W. E. B. Du Boise that examined the economic, political and cultural conditions of African-Americans and argued for black suffrage, education and equal legal treatment. Du Boise examines the condition of blacks' double-consciousness, of always seeing oneself through others' eyes and being caught between African heritage and American upbringing. The book also includes historical studies of Reconstruction and the narratives of individual blacks.