"Population & Steets in Du BoIS City, Pennsylvania: An Historical and Sociological Study" by W.E.B. Du Bois is a thorough study of the lives of African Americans in Philadelphia at the turn of the 20th century. Du Bois' study is based on census data, colonial records, biographies, private libraries, and interviews. It features a color-coded map showing the social conditions of African Americans in the Seventh Ward.
After surveying the black community in the fall of 1895, Harrison formally announced that Penn University was committed to investigating the subject. The university sought a researcher to complete the study. Du Bois was recommended by Samuel McCune Lindsay, a professor of sociology at Penn and a University alumnus. The new researcher was awarded a temporary appointment as an assistant instructor at Penn University for a year. His salary was $900.