Carter Godwin Woodson was an African-American
historianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
,
authorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
,
journalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and the founder of the
Association for the Study of African American Life and HistoryThe Association for the Study of African American Life and History is an organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History. It is a non-profit organization founded in Chicago, Illinois, on September 9, 1915 and incorporated in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 1915 as...
. Woodson was one of the first scholars to study
African American historyAfrican-American history is the portion of American history that specifically discusses the African American or Black American ethnic group in the United States. Most African Americans are the descendants of captive Africans held in the United States from 1619 to 1865...
. A founder of
Journal of Negro History (now titled
The Journal of African-American History), Dr. Woodson has been cited as the father of black history.
Early life
Carter G Woodson was born December 19, 1875, in
New Canton, VirginiaNew Canton is an unincorporated town in northeastern Buckingham County, Virginia, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 15 above the James River, northeast of the county seat of Buckingham...
, the son of former slaves James and Elizae Riddle Woodson. His father helped
UnionDuring the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldiers during the
Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and he moved his family to
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
when he heard that
HuntingtonHuntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
was building a high school for blacks. Coming from a large, poor family, Carter Woodson could not regularly attend school. Through self-instruction, Woodson mastered the fundamentals of common school subjects by age 17.
Wanting more education, Carter went to
Fayette CountyAs of the census of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
to earn a living as a miner in the coal fields. He was able to devote only a few months each year to his schooling. In 1895, at age 20, Woodson entered
Douglass High SchoolDouglass Junior and Senior High School is a historic school building located at Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. It was built in 1924, was the segregation-era high school for African Americans in the city. It is a three story building measuring 113 feet wide and 230 feet long. It is...
, where he received his diploma in less than two years. From 1897 to 1900, Woodson taught in Fayette County. In 1900 he was selected as the principal of Douglass High School. He earned his Bachelor of Literature degree from
Berea CollegeBerea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
in
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in 1903 by taking classes part-time between 1901 and 1903.
From 1903 to 1907, Woodson was a school supervisor in the
PhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Later, he attended the
University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he was awarded an A.B. and A.M. in 1908. He was a member of the first black fraternity
Sigma Pi PhiSigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-lettered organization. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters in Chicago, IL and then Baltimore, MD....
and a member of
Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
.
He completed his Ph.D. in history at
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1912, where he was the second African-American (after W.E.B. DuBois) to earn a doctorate. His doctoral dissertation,
The Disruption of Virginia, was based on research he did at the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
while teaching high school in Washington, D.C. After earning the doctoral degree, he continued teaching in the public schools, later joining the faculty at
Howard UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
as a professor, where he served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Career
Convinced that the role of his own people in American history and in the history of other cultures was being ignored or misrepresented among scholars, Woodson realized the need for research into the neglected past of African Americans. Along with Alexander L. Jackson and three associates, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History on September 9, 1915, in Chicago. That was the year Woodson published
The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861. His other books followed:
A Century of Negro Migration (1918) and
The History of the Negro Church (1927). His work
The Negro in Our History has been reprinted in numerous editions and was revised by
Charles H. WesleyCharles Harris Wesley was a noted African American historian, educator, writer and author.-Early life and education:...
after Woodson's death in 1950.
In January 1916, Woodson began publication of the scholarly
Journal of Negro History. It has never missed an issue, despite the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, loss of support from foundations, and two World Wars. In 2002, it was renamed the
Journal of African American History and continues to be published by the
Association for the Study of African American Life and HistoryThe Association for the Study of African American Life and History is an organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History. It is a non-profit organization founded in Chicago, Illinois, on September 9, 1915 and incorporated in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 1915 as...
(ASALH).
His final professional appointment in West Virginia was as the Dean of the West Virginia Collegiate Institute, now West Virginia State University, from 1920–22.
He studied many aspects of African-American history. For instance, in 1924, he published the first survey of free black slaveowners.
NAACP
Woodson became affiliated with the
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
branch of the NAACP, and its chairman
Archibald GrimkéArchibald Henry Grimké was an American lawyer, intellectual, journalist, diplomat and community leader in the 19th and early 20th century...
. On January 28, 1915, he wrote a letter to Grimké expressing his dissatisfaction with activities. Woodson made two proposals:
- That the branch secure an office for a center to which persons may report whatever concerns the black race may have, and from which the Association may extend its operations into every part of the city; and
- That a canvasser be appointed to enlist members and obtain subscriptions for The Crisis
The Crisis is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , and was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois , Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Miller, W.S. Braithwaite, M. D. Maclean.The original title of the journal was...
, the NAACP magazine edited by W. E. B. Du Bois.
W. E. B. Du Bois added the proposal to divert "patronage from business establishments which do not treat races alike," that is, boycott businesses. Woodson wrote that he would cooperate as one of the twenty-five effective canvassers, adding that he would pay the office rent for one month. Grimke did not welcome Woodson's ideas.
Responding to Grimke's comments about his proposals, on March 18, 1915, Woodson wrote,
- "I am not afraid of being sued by white businessmen. In fact, I should welcome such a law suit. It would do the cause much good. Let us banish fear. We have been in this mental state for three centuries. I am a radical. I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help me."
His difference of opinion with Grimké, who wanted a more conservative course, contributed to Woodson's ending his affiliation with the NAACP.
Black History Month
After leaving Howard University because of differences with its president, Dr. Woodson devoted the rest of his life to historical research. He worked to preserve the history of African Americans and accumulated a collection of thousands of artifacts and publications. He noted that African American contributions "were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them." Race prejudice, he concluded, "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind."
In 1926, Woodson pioneered the celebration of "Negro History Week", designated for the second week in February, to coincide with marking the birthdays of
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and
Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
. The week of recognition became accepted and has been extended as the full month of February, now known as
Black History MonthBlack History Month is an observance of the history of the African diaspora in a number of countries outside of Africa. Since 1976, it is observed annually in the United States and Canada in February, while in the United Kingdom it is observed in October...
.
Colleagues
Woodson believed in self-reliance and racial respect, values he shared with
Marcus GarveyMarcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
, a Jamaican activist who worked in New York. Woodson became a regular columnist for Garvey's weekly
Negro World.
Woodson's political activism placed him at the center of a circle of many black intellectuals and activists from the 1920s to the 1940s. He corresponded with W. E. B. Du Bois,
John E. BruceJohn Edward Bruce, also known as Bruce Grit or J. E. Bruce-Grit , born a slave in Maryland, United States, became a journalist, historian, writer, orator, civil rights activist and Pan-African nationalist...
,
Arturo Alfonso SchomburgArturo Alfonso Schomburg, a.k.a. as Arthur Schomburg, , was a Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist in the United States who researched and raised awareness of the great contributions that Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Americans have made to society. He was an important intellectual figure...
,
Hubert H. HarrisonHubert Henry Harrison was a West Indian-American writer, orator, educator, critic, and radical socialist political activist based in Harlem, New York. He was described by activist A. Philip Randolph as “the father of Harlem radicalism” and by the historian Joel Augustus Rogers as “the foremost...
, and
T. Thomas FortuneTimothy Thomas Fortune was an orator, civil rights leader, journalist, writer, editor and publisher. He was born during slavery in Marianna, Jackson County, Florida to Emanuel and Sarah Jane Fortune.-Early life:...
among others. Even with the extended duties of the Association, Woodson made time to write academic works such as
The History of the Negro Church (1922),
The Mis-Education of the NegroThe Mis-Education of the Negro is a book originally published in 1933 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The thesis of Dr. Woodson's book is that African-Americans of his day were being culturally indoctrinated, rather than taught, in American schools...
(1933), and others which continue to have wide readership.
Woodson did not shy away from controversial subjects, and used the pages of
Negro World to contribute to debates. One issue related to West Indian/African American relations. Woodson summarized that "the West Indian Negro is free." He observed that West Indian societies had been more successful at properly dedicating the necessary amounts of time and resources needed to educate and genuinely emancipate people. Woodson approved of efforts by West Indians to include materials related to Black history and culture into their school curricula.
Woodson was ostracized by some of his contemporaries because of his insistence on defining a category of history related to ethnic culture and race. At the time, these educators felt that it was wrong to teach or understand African-American history as separate from more general American history. According to these educators, "Negroes" were simply Americans, darker skinned, but with no history apart from that of any other. Thus Woodson's efforts to get Black culture and history into the curricula of institutions, even historically Black colleges, were often unsuccessful. Today African-American studies have become specialized fields of study in history, music, culture, literature and other areas; in addition, there is more emphasis on African-American contributions to general American culture. The United States celebrates Black History Month.
Woodson's legacy
That schools have set aside a time each year, to focus upon African American history, is Dr. Woodson's most visible legacy. His determination to further the recognition of the Negro in American and world history, however, inspired countless other scholars. Woodson remained focused on his work throughout his life. Many see him as a man of vision and understanding. Although Dr. Woodson was among the ranks of the educated few, he did not feel particularly sentimental about elite educational institutions. The Association and journal which he started in 1915 continue, and both have earned intellectual respect.
Woodson's other far-reaching activities included the founding in 1920 of the Associated Publishers, the oldest African-American publishing company in the United States. This enabled publication of books concerning blacks which may not have been supported in the rest of the market. He founded Negro History Week in 1926 (now known as Black History Month). He created the
Negro History Bulletin, developed for teachers in elementary and high school grades, and published continuously since 1937. Woodson also influenced the Association's direction and subsidizing of research in African-American history. He wrote numerous articles, monographs and books on Blacks.
The Negro in Our History reached its eleventh edition in 1966, when it had sold more than 90,000 copies.
Dorothy Porter Wesley stated that "Woodson would wrap up his publications, take them to the post office and have dinner at the YMCA." He would teasingly decline her dinner invitations saying, "No, you are trying to marry me off. I am married to my work". Dr. Woodson's most cherished ambition, a six-volume
Encyclopedia Africana, lay incomplete at his death on April 3, 1950 at the age of 74. He is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in
Suitland-Silver Hill, MarylandSuitland-Silver Hill is a census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The census area include separate unincorporated communities of Silver Hill and Suitland, and other smaller communities. The population was 33,515 at the 2000 census...
.
Legacy and honors
In 1992, the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
held an exhibition entitled "Moving Back Barriers: The Legacy of Carter G. Woodson". Woodson had donated his collection of 5,000 items from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries to the Library.
His
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
home has been preserved and designated the
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic SiteCarter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site at 1538 9th Street, NW in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C., preserves the home of Carter G. Woodson . Woodson, the founder of Black History Month, was an African American historian, author, and journalist.-History:The property served as Dr....
.
In 2002, scholar
Molefi Kete AsanteMolefi Kete Asante is an African-American scholar, historian, and philosopher. He is a leading figure in the fields of African American studies, African Studies and Communication Studies...
named Carter G. Woodson on his list of
100 Greatest African Americans100 Greatest African Americans is a biographical dictionary of the one hundred historically greatest African Americans , as assessed by Molefi Kete Asante in 2002.-Criteria:...
.
Selected bibliography
- The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 (1915)
- A Century of Negro Migration (1918)
- The History of the Negro Church (1921)
- The Negro in Our History (1922)
- Free Negro Owners of Slaves in the United States in 1830, Together With Absentee Ownership of Slaves in the United States in 1830 (1924)
- Free Negro Heads of Families in the United States in 1830, Together With a Brief Treatment of the Free Negro (1925)
- Negro Orators and Their Orations (1925)
- The Mind of the Negro as Reflected in Letters Written During the Crisis, 1800-1860 (1927)
- Negro Makers of History (1928)
- African Myths, Together With Proverbs (1928)
- The Rural Negro (1930)
- The Negro Wage Earner (1930)
- The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933)
- The Negro Professional Man and the Community, With Special Emphasis on the Physician and the Lawyer (1934)
- The Story of the Negro Retold (1935)
- The African Background Outlined: Or, Handbook for the Study of the Negro (1936)
- African Heroes and Heroines (1939)
- The Works of Francis J. Grimké (1942)
- Carter G. Woodson's Appeal: The Lost Manuscript Edition (2008)
Places named after Woodson
- Carter G. Woodson Charter School in Winston Salem, North Carolina
- The Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, CharlottesvilleCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, VAThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/woodson/
- Woodson K-8 School
Carter G. Woodson K-8 School is a Title I combined primary and secondary school located in Houston, Texas, United States.Woodson serves grades kindergarten through 8 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District....
in Houston, TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- Woodson Regional Library
Carter G. Woodson Regional Library is one of two regional libraries in the Chicago Public Library system in Chicago, serving as the hub for its South District. It is named for Carter Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The library is in...
in ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
http://www.chipublib.org/002branches/woodson/woodson.html
- Carter G. Woodson Middle School in Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
- Carter G. Woodson Elementary, Crisfield, MD http://www.somerset.k12.md.us/WES/
- Dr. Carter G. Woodson Elementary, Baltimore, MD http://www.bcps.k12.md.us/
- Carter G. Woodson Elementary, Atlanta, GA
- Carter G. Woodson Middle School in New Orleans
- Carter G. Woodson Elementary School in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
- Woodson Institute for Student Excellence Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
- Carter G. Woodson Middle School in Hopewell
Hopewell is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 22,591 at the 2010 Census . It is in Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, VAThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
- C.G. Woodson Road in his home town of New Canton, Virginia
New Canton is an unincorporated town in northeastern Buckingham County, Virginia, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 15 above the James River, northeast of the county seat of Buckingham...
- Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, DC is located on the Carter G. Woodson Campus
- Carter G. Woodson Park, in Oakland Park, Florida
Oakland Park is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Originally named Floranada , the town was forced into bankruptcy after the hurricane of 1926. When the town reincorporated, residents chose the name Oakland Park. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,363, mainly due to...
- Carter G. Woodson Elementary School was a former school located in Oakland Park, Florida
Oakland Park is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Originally named Floranada , the town was forced into bankruptcy after the hurricane of 1926. When the town reincorporated, residents chose the name Oakland Park. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,363, mainly due to...
. It was closed in 1965 when the Broward County Public SchoolsBroward County Public Schools, a public school district serving Broward County, Florida, is the nation's sixth largest public school system and the largest fully accredited district in the nation, with over 260,000 students in more than 260 schools and education centers...
system was desegregated.
- Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
http://www.woodsonmuseum.org
- Carter G. Woodson Elementary School in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
http://www.duvalschools.org/woodson/
- PS 23 Carter G. Woodson School in Brooklyn, New York http://www.ps23woodson.org/home
External links
Other information about Woodson