What do you think inspired W.E.B. Du Bois to write The Souls of Black Folk?

I would say that the articulation of a post Civil War
reality for African- Americans would be the primary motivation for Du Bois in writing
his work.  The post slavery world featured a great deal of challenge in terms of how
African- Americans would identify themselves.  Within this framework was the notion that
identity for people of color in America would carry with it many challenges.  Different
voices were out there, such as Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, as how African-
Americans should establish their identities in this world.  Along these lines was the
reality that the new wave of industrialization was complicating matters of identity and
within it, the question of how to construct one's political, social, economic, and
personal identity were all there confronting people of color, and in particular,
African-Americans.  In this void, Du Bois offers his thoughts.