John Hope Franklin

Early Life and Education

John Hope Franklin was born on January 2, 1915, in Rentiesville, Oklahoma, a small, predominantly African American town. His parents were Buck Colbert Franklin, a lawyer, and Mollie Parker Franklin, a schoolteacher. Franklin's early education was influenced by his mother's dedication to teaching and his father's legal career, which exposed him to the challenges faced by African Americans in the early 20th century.

Franklin attended Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he excelled academically. He later enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1935. At Fisk, Franklin was mentored by Charles S. Johnson, a prominent sociologist and civil rights activist, who encouraged him to pursue graduate studies in history.

Franklin continued his education at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in 1936 and a Ph.D. in history in 1941. His doctoral dissertation, "The Free Negro in North Carolina, 1790-1860," was later published as a book and remains a seminal work in the field of African American history.

Academic Career

Franklin began his academic career at Fisk University, where he taught history from 1936 to 1939. He then moved to St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he served as head of the history department from 1939 to 1943. During this time, Franklin continued to research and write about African American history, contributing to the growing body of scholarship in the field.

In 1947, Franklin joined the faculty at Howard University in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's leading historically black universities. At Howard, he collaborated with other prominent African American scholars, including E. Franklin Frazier and Ralph Bunche. Franklin's work at Howard helped to establish the university as a center for African American historical research.

In 1956, Franklin accepted a position at Brooklyn College in New York City, becoming the first African American to chair a history department at a major American university. During his tenure at Brooklyn College, Franklin published his most famous work, "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans," in 1947. The book, now in its ninth edition, has been widely acclaimed for its comprehensive and scholarly approach to African American history.

Contributions to African American History

John Hope Franklin's contributions to the field of African American history are vast and varied. His scholarship has provided a deeper understanding of the African American experience, from the colonial period to the present day. Franklin's work has emphasized the importance of African American agency and resilience in the face of systemic racism and oppression.

One of Franklin's most significant contributions is his pioneering research on the history of free African Americans in the antebellum South. His book, "The Free Negro in North Carolina, 1790-1860," challenged prevailing assumptions about the lives of free African Americans and highlighted their contributions to Southern society. Franklin's research demonstrated that free African Americans played a crucial role in the economic and social life of the South, despite facing significant legal and social restrictions.

Franklin's magnum opus, "From Slavery to Freedom," has been praised for its comprehensive and nuanced portrayal of African American history. The book covers a wide range of topics, including the transatlantic slave trade, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement. Franklin's work has been instrumental in shaping the field of African American history and has inspired generations of scholars to continue exploring this rich and complex history.

Civil Rights Activism

In addition to his academic work, John Hope Franklin was an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement. He worked closely with civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., and participated in key events such as the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. Franklin's scholarship and activism were deeply intertwined, as he believed that understanding history was essential to achieving social justice.

Franklin served on several important commissions and advisory boards related to civil rights and racial equality. In 1965, he was appointed to the National Advisory Commission on Humanities, which later became the National Endowment for the Humanities. He also served on the Advisory Board of the President's Commission on Civil Rights and the Advisory Board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed Franklin to chair the President's Initiative on Race, a national effort to promote dialogue and understanding about race relations in the United States. Franklin's leadership in this initiative underscored his lifelong commitment to addressing issues of racial inequality and promoting social justice.

Awards and Honors

John Hope Franklin received numerous awards and honors throughout his career in recognition of his contributions to history and civil rights. Some of the most notable include:

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Bill Clinton in 1995, the nation's highest civilian honor.
The Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, delivered in 1976, which is the highest honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.
The John W. Kluge Prize for the Study of Humanity, awarded by the Library of Congress in 2006, which recognizes lifetime achievement in fields not covered by the Nobel Prizes.
The Gold Medal for History from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, awarded in 2002.

Franklin was also a member of numerous prestigious organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Organization of American Historians. He received honorary degrees from more than 130 colleges and universities, reflecting the widespread recognition of his scholarly contributions.

Legacy

John Hope Franklin's legacy extends beyond his scholarly work and civil rights activism. He was a mentor to many young scholars and played a key role in the development of African American studies as an academic discipline. Franklin's work has had a lasting impact on the field of history and has helped to shape the way we understand the African American experience.

Franklin's commitment to social justice and equality continues to inspire new generations of scholars and activists. His work serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding history in order to address contemporary issues of race and inequality. Franklin's contributions to the field of African American history have ensured that the stories and experiences of African Americans are an integral part of the broader narrative of American history.

References

Franklin, John Hope. "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans." McGraw-Hill, 1947.
Franklin, John Hope. "The Free Negro in North Carolina, 1790-1860." University of North Carolina Press, 1943.
Franklin, John Hope. "Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin." Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.
"John Hope Franklin." National Endowment for the Humanities. Accessed March 1, 2023.