The publication of "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. Du Bois came in 1903 during a period of significant racial tension as well as division across the United States. After the Civil War ended in 1865 as well as the Reconstruction started, African Americans as well as white Americans experienced complex and frequently hostile relations, particularly in the Southern states.

Adopting the Civil War, the Reconstruction period saw substantial modifications, particularly the Thirteenth, FourteenTH, and Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which ended slavery, granted citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the United State of America and preserved the right to vote with no regard to race, color, or past status or servitude. Nevertheless, the conclusion of Reconstruction in 1877 brought about the withdrawal of federal troops from the Southern region, enabling white Southern legislators to regain control of their territories and usher in a time of Jim Crow rule.

Jim Crow laws forced racial segregation of African Americans and deprived them of their rights. The ensuing laws established a "separate but equal" system which in fact was nothing but equal as well as considerably hampered Black Americans. Race tensions were entrenched via widespread race and lynchings troubles during that time.

Du Bois' work had been revolutionary in this particular environment. He challenged the dominant concepts of his era, especially those of Booker T. Washington, who promoted African American progress through vocational training and financial independence, frequently at the price of political representation and civil rights. Du Bois, however, advocated for liberal arts education, civil rights, and political involvement for African Americans. He argued that the "TalenTED Tenth" of African Americans must be educated to lead the way in attaining equal rights and higher financial standards for themselves as well as their families.

The release of "The Souls of Black Folk" happened during a period of rising momentum in the Niagara Movement, which Du Bois helped found. The fight to protest racial segregation & disenfranchisement was a call for resistance, and it was the foundation for the development of the NAACP in 1909.

Overall, "The Souls of Black Folk" depicts the historic landscape of a country dealing with the residual negative effects of slavery and the job of integrating millions of freed enslaved individuals into its financial, political, and social life. Du Bois' contributions are significant in the debate regarding obtaining racial equality in America, and they're considered a traditional work in the history of social science and civil rights.