Mis-Education of the Negro

The Mis-Education of the Negro is a book by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.The thesis of Dr. Woodson's book is that African Americans of his day were being culturally indoctrinated, rather than taught, in American schools. This conditioning, he claims, causes African Americans to become dependent and to seek out inferior places in the greater society of which they are a part. He challenges his readers to become autodidacts and to "do for themselves", regardless of what they were taught. Here is a quote from the book: "When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary."