Though he entered high school late, he made up for lost time, graduating in less than two years. After attending Berea College in Kentucky, Woodson worked in the Philippines as an education superintendent for the U.S. government. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Chicago before…
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Becomes the second African American (after W.E.B. Du Bois) to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University, and the first child of enslaved parents to earn a doctorate in history.
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 the study and promotion of Black History.
Woodson established the scholarly publication Journal of Negro History in 1916, and to help teachers with African American studies, he created the Negro History Bulletin in 1937. Woodson also formed the African American-owned Associated Publishers Press in 1921.
Founds Negro History Week, to be observed in February, in honor of the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
In February 1926, Woodson sent out a press release announcing the first Negro History Week. He chose February because the month contained the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two prominent men whose historic achievements African Americans already celebrated. (Lincoln’s birthday was February 12; Douglass, who was formerly…
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In the 1930-1940s, he continues to publish and is also active in civil rights, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s anti-lynching efforts.
President Ronald Reagan unveils a postage stamp of Carter G. Woodson at a White House Ceremony in 1984