The book, published in 1903, contains several essays on race, some of which had been previously published in Atlantic Monthly magazine. Du Bois drew from his own experiences to develop this groundbreaking work on being African American in American society. Outside of its notable place in African-American history, The Souls of Black Folk also holds an important place in social science as one of the early works to deal with sociology.

Chapter X: Of the Faith of the Fathers

In this essay, Du Bois argues that the Black church is deeply connected to black political movements. Instead of seeing this as a positive, he sees this as a weakness that needs to be overcome. He sees the Church as the last remnants of tribal life that needs to be overthrown for Black Civilization to thrive. He says by the middle of the Eighteenth Century the black slave was sunk to the bottom of the economic ladder. Through this, he lost all joy in the world. The Church then offered him salvation in the next world, which he gripped to. Du Bois says the slave then, and the Black Man now must look to salvation in this life in order to build a culture of economic prosperity.

However, he said it was much better than the wider Christian Church in that it never excluded. He offered a future program for the Church of buying real estate for its members and increasing their economic status in society.

In Living Black History, Du Bois biographer Manning Marable observes:

Few books make history and fewer still become foundational texts for the movements and struggles of an entire people. The Souls of Black Folk occupies this rare position. It helped to create the intellectual argument for the black freedom struggle in the twentieth century. Souls justified the pursuit of higher education for Negroes and thus contributed to the rise of the black middle class. By describing a global color-line, Du Bois anticipated pan-Africanism and colonial revolutions in the Third World. Moreover, this stunning critique of how 'race' is lived through the normal aspects of daily life is central to what would become known as 'whiteness studies' a century later.

Each chapter in The Souls of Black Folk begins with a spiritual. These spirituals deal with sorrow, suffering, hope, and affirmation. Their significance lies in that they are both original and communal—-designating a group of people rather than an individual—-further representing Du Bois' appeal to the struggle of African Americans.

Here is what Du Bois says about these slave songs:

“I know that these songs are the articulate message of the slave to the world.”