John H. Franklin
On this date in 1915, Black educator John Hope Franklin was born.
A native of Oklahoma and a graduate of Fisk University, he received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history from Harvard University. He taught at a number of institutions, including Fisk, St. Augustine's College, North Carolina Central University, and Howard University. Professor Franklin's published numerous books and articles. His best-known book is From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans, now in its seventh edition.
In 1993, he published The Color Line: Legacy for the Twenty-first Century. More than three million copies have been sold. Professor Franklin wrote a biography of his father, which he edited with his son, John Whittington Franklin.
In 1995, he received the first W.E.B. Du Bois Award from the Fisk University Alumni Association and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Dr. Franklin has received honorary degrees from more than 100 colleges and universities. Dr. Franklin has also been the recipient of many other honors.
At this writing, Professor Franklin served as chair of the advisory board for One America: The President's Initiative on Race. He is a past president of the American Historical Association and was Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University.
John Hope Franklin died on March 25, 2009.
American Historical Association
The biographical dictionary of Black Americans
by Rachel Krantz and Elizabeth A.Ryan
Copyright 1992, Facts on File, New York, NY
ISBN 0-8160-2324-7
