In the ninteenth century there were many signs that political democracy was expanding in Western Europe. First, universal male suffrage laws were passed. Second, the prime minister was responsible to the popularly elected legislative body, not to a king or president. This principle is called ministerial responsibility and is crucial for democracy. Third, mass political parties were formed.
Du Bois was one of the founders of a letter campaign in the 1920s called NAACP. They wanted publications, like New York Times, to capitalize the "N" in negro.
