W.E.B. Du Bois and the 1900 Paris Exhibition W.E.B. Du Bois wanted the world to know the gains African Americans had made since the Civil War, as well as their plight as second-class citizens. In 1899, Daniel A.P. Murray, an African American researcher and historian at the Library of Congress, worked with Du Bois and others to put together pictures and other items to show the state of African Americans as the 20th century began. Their award-winning "Negro Exhibition" debuted in Paris, France, in 1900. It featured 500 photos of African American communities, successful black businesses and schools, as well as books and pamphlets by African American authors. For more on African American experience and achievements in the U.S. and elsewhere visit Discover Black Heritage , a travel guide to black history and culture