Final answer:
W.E.B. Du Bois is the author critiquing misconceptions and systemic inequalities faced by African Americans in early 20th century U.S. society. He argued against the views that education for African Americans had failed and challenged the belief that progress depended solely on the efforts of the African American community.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author of the statement in question is W.E.B. Du Bois, a prominent African American scholar and civil rights activist in the early 20th century. His criticism of the prevailing attitudes toward African Americans and the perceived failures of their education and moral integrity reflects his broader analysis of race relations and systemic inequality in the United States. Du Bois' work addresses complex social dynamics, including the misconceptions held by society about the capabilities and character of the African American population, and challenges the idea that all responsibility for improvement rests solely on the shoulders of African Americans themselves.
By engaging with the broader context of this author's work, we can understand his positions on issues such as lynching, educational equality, and political rights. Du Bois was a fierce opponent of Booker T. Washington's philosophy, which he believed placed undue emphasis on vocational training and acquiescence to segregation, and failed to advocate sufficiently for political and civil rights.