Carter G. Woodson

(1875 - 1950)

Historian

Carter G. Woodson, Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Carter G. Woodson, known as the Father of Negro History, set for himself the goal of providing a scientific and historical account of people of African ancestry. Born to former slaves, he educated himself as a youth and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912. Among his highly influential writings are The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 and The Negro in Our History. Although his six volume Encyclopedia Africana remained unfinished at the time of his death, his works are the foundation for countless other writers on African American history. One of Dr. Woodson’s achievements was the organization in 1926 of the first Negro History Week, which has evolved over the years to become what is currently known as African American History Month.

Additional Information

Biography of Carter G. Woodson from American National Biography Online

Biography of Carter G. Woodson from BlackPast.org