[1][2] While this represented the point of view of the authors at the time, some—Du Bois, for example—would later revise their stance to consider the effects of systemic and institutional racism.

[4] The Negro Problem and its constituent essays were written in the post-Civil War, Jim Crow era, when African Americans struggled with oppressive laws and systems meant to curb their rights.

DuBois, two of the more notable authors featured in The Negro Problem, had a long professional history both preceding and following the publication of the book.

[6] Charles W. Chesnutt also had a long professional history preceding and following the publication of The Negro Problem.

Chesnutt continued to write and publish stories during the latter years of his life but he was largely eclipsed in the 1920s by the writers of the Harlem Renaissance.