Carter G. Woodson Timeline
Known as the “Father of Black History,” Woodson (1875-1950) was the son of former slaves and understood the importance of gaining a proper education when striving to secure and maximize one’s divine right of freedom.
1875
1875 – Early Life
Carter Godwin Woodson was born on December 19, 1875, in New Canton, Virginia, to formerly enslaved people Anna Eliza Riddle Woodson and James Woodson. The fourth of seven children, young Woodson worked as a sharecropper and a miner to help his family.
1892
1892 – Early Life as a Coal Miner
Moves to West Virginia to work as a coal miner at seventeen.
1897
1897 – Early Life & Education
Though he enters high school late, he makes up for lost time, graduating in less than two years. After attending Berea College in Kentucky, Woodson works as an education superintendent for the U.S. government in the Philippines.
1908
1908 – University of Chicago
Enrolls at the University of Chicago and receives a second bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in European History in the spring of 1908.
1912
1912 – Harvard University
Becomes the second African American (after W.E.B. Du Bois) to receive a PhD from Harvard University and the first child of enslaved parents to earn a doctorate in history.
1915
1915 – The Mis-Education of the Negro
Publishes The Mis-Education of the Negro, his first book.
Sept. 9, 1915
September 9, 1915
Founds the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in Washington, DC, where he was teaching high school. Today, known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), it is the oldest organization dedicated to studying and promoting Black History.
1916
1916 – The Journal of Negro History
Publishes the first issue of The Journal of Negro History.
1918
1918 – Washington, D.C.
Moves to Washington, D.C., where he taught American history, English, French, and Spanish languages at the M Street School (now known as Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School) and then worked as a principal at the Armstrong Manual Training School.
1920
1920 – Howard University
Becomes Dean at the School of Liberal Arts and Head of the Graduate Faculty at Howard University.
1922
1922 – The Woodson House
Buys a home at 1538 Ninth Street NW in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s home was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its national significance in African American cultural heritage. The National Park Service is renovating it with plans to open to the public in 2025.
1926
1926 – Negro History Week
Founds Negro History Week, to be observed in February, in honor of the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
1930s
1930s
The home served as the headquarters for ASNLH (ASALH). It was also where he ran Associated Publishers, a publishing house focused on African American culture and history at a time when many other publishers wouldn’t accept works on the topic.
Committee in charge of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, 1935. Dr. Carter G. Woodson is sitting to the far left, Vivian G. Harsh is sitting in the center (white blouse).
1937
1937 – The Negro History Bulletin
In 1937, at the urging of Mary McLeod Bethune, Woodson established the The Negro History Bulletin, which focused on the annual theme. The Negro History Bulletin was a monthly newsletter for high school teachers, with articles providing ideas for lessons on African American history. ASALH still publishes this educational resource as the Black History Bulletin.
1940s
1940s – A Time of Growth
Woodson continues to publish and is active in civil rights, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) anti-lynching efforts. During this time, ASNLH (ASALH) steadily grows, establishing branches in every major northern city and dozens of cities and small towns across the South. Such growth ensured that Black History Week did not die with Carter G. Woodson.
Mary McLeod Bethune, Lucy Harth Smith, and Dr. Carter G. Woodson at ASALH’s Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois in 1940.
1950
1950 – Death
Dr. Carter G. Woodson dies in his living quarters at the Association’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 1950, at the age of 74.
