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Carter G. Woodson was born , the oldest of nine children, in New
Canton, Virginia, December 19, 1875, to newly freed slaves, James
and Anne Woodson. His family was extremely poor, and had to rely on
Woodson’s small wages from his work in the coal mines. When Carter
was seventeen, his family relocated to Fayette, Virginia. He took
another job in the coal mines, but was permitted to attend Douglass
High School part-time. He completed his course work in a
year-and-a-half, graduating in 1896. Thereafter, he entered Berea
College, in Kentucky, and soon returned to Douglass High School as
its principal, serving from 1900 to 1903. In the meantime, he took
correspondence courses, attended summer umn sessions at the
University of Chicago, receiving a B.A. degree in 1907, and an M.A.
degree in 1908.
During the period of 1903 to 1909, he served as supervisor of
schools in the Philippines. He traveled to Asia, North Africa, and
Europe, completing extensive course work and becoming proficient in
Spanish and French. Back in the States, while in residence at
Harvard University, he taught English, Spanish, French and history
at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., from 1909 to 1918. While
teaching, he also did research at the Library of Congress for his
doctoral dissertation, The Disruption of Virginia, and received his
Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912.
As a result of his years of study and research, Dr. Woodson came
to realize that the Black man’s past contributions had to be
documented and taught. He conclude that "if a race had no recorded
history, its achievements would be forgotten and, in time, claimed
by other groups." He found that many of the achievements by Blacks
were overlooked, ignored and even suppressed by writers of history
textbooks. It was his dream that the truth would be revealed as to
Afro-Americans’ contributions to the discovery, pioneering,
development, and continuance of America. His prime ambition was that
"young Blacks would grow up with a firm knowledge of their
ancestors." One of his most popular textbooks, The Negro In Our
History, was widely used for years in high schools, colleges, and
universities.
Dr. Woodson was often ridiculed for his efforts. At one time,
large foundations were encouraged to withdraw funding of over
$100,000 in support of the ASNLH, which evolved into the Association
for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASNLH). Taking full
burden of his cause, with perseverance and vision, Dr. Woodson
researched, sorted and compiled voluminous information about the
American Negro. The ASNLH held its first meeting in Chicago in 1915.
The following year, from this association sprung the publication of
the Journal of Negro History, a scientific quarterly. Dr. Woodson
served as director and editor of this publication until his death.
From 1919 to 1920, Dr. Woodson served as dean of the School of
Liberal Arts and head of the graduate faculty at Howard University.
For the next two years, he was dean of West Virginia Collegiate
Institute. In 1922, he retired from college teaching and spent the
rest of his life writing, editing and promoting Black history. On
April 3, 1950, Dr. Carter G. Woodson died. Although he produced no
offspring, he fathered the recording of a people’s history and
nurtured its growth and development into recognition and acceptance.
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