Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim are undoubtedly three of the most important theorists of all time. Their contribution to the world of sociology changed the minds of other theorists who followed them. One such important theorist is known as WEB Du Bois, the first American sociologist of religion and major social theorist of race. Du Bois was a truly inspiring person who accomplished many great things throughout his life. My goal is not only to explain who Du Bois was as a person, but also to compare and contrast his theories to those of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community in Barrington, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Racism was the main target of Du Bois's polemics and he vigorously protested against lynching, Jim Crow laws and discrimination in education. and employment. His cause included people of color everywhere, especially Africans and Asians in their struggles against colonialism and imperialism. Du Bois was also a prolific author. His collection of essays, The Souls of Black Folk, was a seminal work of African-American literature; and his 1935 magnum opus, Black Reconstruction in America, challenged the prevailing orthodoxy that blacks were responsible for the failures of the Reconstruction era. He wrote the first scientific treatise in the field of sociology; and he published three autobiographies, each of which contains insightful essays on sociology, politics and history...... middle of article ......approach as he focused on aspects really different from the way he conducted his studies. Because he learned so much from other theorists, he was able to take them and apply them in a completely new way, which allowed him to present his concepts differently. Du Bois is now attracting more attention than before but is still not recognized by those like Marx, Weber or Durkheim. Du Bois's concepts will only become greater and more appreciated as time goes on, especially for his work on racism. In our world today, a lot is different when it comes to race and if Du Bois were here now, I think he would be proud of how far he has come. Although I feel like we still have a long way to go. Overall, Du Bois made enormous contributions to sociology and much of his work was learned from other major theorists of his time. All of this contributed in one way or another to making the great sociologist he truly became..