# Democracy and the Franchise in Darkwater

> Theme guide for Darkwater by W. E. B. Du Bois.

Du Bois argues that the right to vote is essential for all people, including women and Black Americans, and that denying the franchise is a form of oppression that undermines true democracy and human development.

## Where it surfaces

- [Credo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/credo): Affirms belief in 'Liberty for all men' including 'the right to vote' and freedom from color-based curses.
- [I: The Shadow of Years](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/i-the-shadow-of-years): The call for 'final emancipation' and the NAACP's fight for civil rights are central to the chapter.
- [II: The Souls of White Folk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/ii-the-souls-of-white-folk): America's failure to extend democracy to black citizens is contrasted with its professed ideals, making it an 'awful example' of democratic failure.
- [III: The Hands of Ethiopia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/iii-the-hands-of-ethiopia): The chapter frames the 'present problem of problems' as democracy struggling against the color bar, and calls for a 'new democracy of all races' and equal rights for black South Africans.
- [Of the Ruling of Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/vi-of-the-ruling-of-men): Central theme: Du Bois argues that the right to vote is not a privilege but a necessity for justice, and that excluding any group undermines democracy itself.
- [VIII: The Immortal Child](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/viii-the-immortal-child): Du Bois argues that without widespread intelligence and education, democracy cannot achieve its greater ends, and that the current system fails to prepare citizens for civic duties.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/themes/democracy_and_the_franchise
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/darkwater_se/themes