Biography of John Hope Franklin

John Hope Franklin, born January 2nd 1915, was an African-American historian who dedicated his life to the teaching and studying of American history and racial politics, especially that of Southern America. An avid promoter of the teaching, studying and presentation of American history as well as the preservation and access of its materials, Franklin died March 25th 2009. A leading scholar on black American history, Franklin often cited historians as being influential in shaping policy in America and he paved the way for other black scholars. ‘He became chair of Brooklyn College's history department in 1956, thus making him the first black scholar to be appointed department head at a mostly white college.’ This event, such a great achievement for an African-American academic, demonstrates the influence of Franklin on History and he was greeted with much admiration in the press. He also dedicated much of his life to the civil rights movement and combined his knowledge of history to affect change. For example in 1954, Franklin served on the team that helped develop the case that led to the ending of the legal segregation of black and white children in public schools.

Franklin always claimed to have had many personal challenges in his early year that had influenced his writing and what he was trying to achieve as a historian. This is reflected in this quote from the first paragraph of his autobiography, ‘Living in a world restricted by laws defining race, as well as creating obstacles, disadvantages, and even superstitions regarding race, challenged my capacities for survival. For ninety years I have met countless men and women likewise meet this challenge.’ This adds some insight into the specialisation of Franklin’s work which h...

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...ces, it is remarkable that the same essential characteristics seem to have prevailed in all of them.’ This concept of modern history follows the idea of comparing different societies existing in the same era and/or shared similar cultural conditions. It is evident in this quote that Franklin aims to explore this with the various African societies. Additionally the study of slavery especially in the comparative sense has been great in modern times and Franklin words suggest that this chapter will continue that tradition.

Works Cited

• Franklin, J.H. & Moss Jr, A.A. (1994) From Slavery to freedom. 7th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

• [Online]. (2014) Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-hope-franklin-9301314. [Accessed 30th April 2014].

• Franklin, J.H. (2005). Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin. New York: Hill & Wang