Final answer:
W.E.B. Du Bois considered the educated segment known as 'the talented tenth' responsible for improving the lives of black Americans by leading initiatives for racial equality and social justice. He also played a significant role in the founding of the NAACP and advocated for full civil rights and political representation.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to W.E.B. Du Bois, black Americans themselves, particularly the educated segment he termed "the talented tenth," are responsible for improving the lives of black Americans. Du Bois believed in higher education and leadership skills as essential tools for racial equality. He emphasized the significance of well-educated innovators and leaders in advancing society. His work at Atlanta University, now Clark Atlanta University, promoted a rigorous academic program, moving away from solely vocational skills.
Du Bois's activism extended beyond education; he was a key figure in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and his work in researching and addressing the issuess of racism and disenfranchisement were instrumental to the civil rights movement.
Du Bois advocated for full civil rights and political representation as prerequisites for justice and supported protest as a means to progress, particularly after his sociological studies revealed the depth of racial inequities.